PACIFIC  COAST  VACATION 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 

Class 


A 

PACIFIC  COAST 
VACATION 


BY 


MRS.  JAMES  EDWIN  MORRIS 


Illustrated  from  Photographs  Taken  En  Route 
by  James  Edwin  Morris 


THE 

Hbbcy  press 

PUBLISHERS 

114 

FIFTH    AVENUE 
LONDON  NEW  YORK          MONTREAL 


OF  THE 

f   UNIVERSITY   ) 

- 


GENERAL 


Copyright,   1901, 

by 
THE 

Hbbcy  press 


Dedicated  to  Alaska's   Beautiful  Daughter, 
Miss  EDNA  MCFARLAND 

Linked  in  my  memory  of  those  sea-girt  shores  where 
snow-crowned  mountains  tower  like  castles  old;  where 
wild  cataracts  hurl  their  waters  down  rugged  cliffs  to  the 
sea;  where  sea  gulls  mingle  their  cries  with  the  rushing 
torrents ;  where  frost  giants  stride  up  and  down  the 
land;  where  the  Aurora  flames  through  the  long  win- 
ter nights,  will  ever  be  the  name  of  this  gifted  daughter 
of  Alaska. 


181693 


FOREWORD 

IF  you  ask  what  motive  she  who  loved  these 
scenes  had  in  essaying  to  portray  them  with  pen 
and  camera,  she  would  reply  that  like  the  Duke 
of  Buckingham,  when  visiting  the  scene  where 
Anna  of  Austria  had  whispered  that  she  loved 
him,  let  fall  a  precious  gem  that  another  finding 
it,  might  be  happy  in  that  charmed  spot  where 
he  himself  had  been. 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

Junction  of  the  Mississippi  and  Black  Rivers 9 

Falls  of  Saint  Anthony 11 

Falls  of  Minnehaha 13 

Old  Fort  Snelling 15 

Roadway,  Soldiers'  Barracks,  Fort  Snelling 17 

Entering  the  Cascade  Range 35 

Lava  Beds  in  Washington 37 

Tangle  of  Wild  Fern  in  a  Washington  Forest 39 

Mount  Rainier 41 

Street  in  Tacoma,  Washington 45 

Parliament  House,  Victoria 51 

Gorge  of  Homathco 53 

Light  House,  Point  Robert 55 

Fjords  of  Alaska 57 

Fishing  Hamlet  of  Ketchikan 59 

Fort  Wrangle,  Alaska 63 

Chief  Shake's  House,  Fort  Wrangle 67 

Entering  Wrangle  Narrows 71 

Douglas  Island,  Looking  Toward  Juneau 73 

Silver  Bow  Can" on,  Juneau.     (By  permission  of  F. 

Laroche,  photographer,  Seattle,  Washington)  75 

Old  Russian  Court  House,  Juneau 77 

Street  in  Juneau 79 

Greek  Church,  Juneau 81 

Indian  Chief's  House,  Juneau 83 

Summit  of  the  Selkirk  Range,  at  Head  of  Yukon 
River.     Old  Glory  Waves  Beside  the  British 

Flag 85 


List  of  Illustrations. 

PAGE 

The  Skaguay  Enchantress 89 

Skaguay,  Showing  White  Pass 91 

Muir  Glacier  (section  of) 93 

Greek  Church,  Killisnoo 99 

Kitchnatti 101 

Sitka — Soldiers'  Barracks,  Old  Russian  Warehouse 
and  Greek  Church  on  the  right,  Indian  Vil- 
lage on  the  left,  Russian  Blockhouses  Beyond, 
and  Mission  Schools  in  the  Distance.  (By 
permission  of  F.  Laroche,  photographer, 

Seattle,  Washington) 103 

Indian  Avenue,  Sitka 105 

Blockhouse  on  Bank  of  Indian  River,  Sitka,  Alaska.  107 

Rapids,  Indian  River,  Sitka 113 

Where  Whales  and  Porpoises  Poke  Their  Noses  Up 

Through  the  Brine 119 

Steamer  Queen  Leaving  Juneau 133 

Alps  of  America 135 

Government  Locks  on  the  Columbia  River 143 

Rapids,  Columbia  River 145 

Farm  on  the  Bank  of  the  Columbia  River,  Below 

the  Dalles,  Oregon 147 

Scene  on  an  Oregon  Farm  in  the  Willamette  Valley .  151 

Roadway  in  Oregon 153 

Climbing  the  Shasta  Range 163 

The  Highest  Trestle  in  the  World,  near  Muir's  Peak, 

Shasta  Range 165 

Mount  Shasta.     (By  permission    of  F.    Laroche, 

photographer,  Seattle,   Washington) 167 

Street  Scene  in  Chinatown,  San  Francisco 177 

Museum  in  Golden  Gate  Park,  San  Francisco 181 

Early  Morning,  Yosemite  Valley 189 

Wawona  Valley 191 


List  of  Illustrations. 

PAGE 

Oldest  Log  Cabin  in  the  Sequoia  Grove,  Mariposa 
County,   California.      Old  Columbia  in    the 

Foreground 193 

Half  Dome  and  Merced  River 195 

Merced  River,  Yosemite  Valley 197 

Yosemite   Falls 199 

El  Capitan 201 

Bridal  Veil  Falls  and  the  Three  Brothers  (solid  rock)  203 

Mirror  Lake,  Sleeping  Water 205 

Yosemite  Falls,  Showing  Floor  of  the  Valley 207 

Sunrise  in  Yosemite  Valley 209 

Entering  Hell  Gate  Canon , 233 

Liberty  Cap  and  Old  Fort  Yellowstone 235 

Hotel  Mammoth,  Hot  Springs,  Yellowstone  Park.  .   237 
Old  Faithful  Geyser,  Yellowstone  Park,  Just  Before 

an  Eruption 239 

Yellowstone  Lake 241 

Camping  on  the  Shore  of  Lake  Yellowstone 243 

Paint  Pots  on  Shore  of  Yellowstone  Lake 245 

Grand  Canon  of  the  Yellowstone 247 

Gibbon  River  Falls 249 

Micky  and  Annie  Rooney 251 


i  HE 

(    UNIVERSITY 

OF 


A    Pacific   Coast  Vacation 


CHAPTER  I 

AUF    WIEDERSEHEN 

OFF  to  see  the  land  of  icebergs  and  glaciers ; 
the  land  I  have  often  visited  in  my  imagination. 
It  seems  but  yesterday  that  the  first  geography 
was  put  into  my  hands.  O,  that  dear  old  geog- 
raphy, the  silent  companion  of  my  childhood 
days. 

The  first  page  to  which  I  opened  pictured 
an  iceberg,  with  a  polar  bear  walking  right  up 
the  perpendicular  side,  and  another  bold  fellow 
sitting  on  top  as  serenely  as  Patience  on  a  mon- 
ument. 

"  What  was  an  iceberg  ?  What  were  the 
bears  doing  on  the  ice  and  what  did  they  eat? 
Was  that  the  sun  shining  over  yonder?  Why 
didn't  it  melt  the  ice  and  drop  the  bears  into  the 
sea?  No,  that  was  not  the  sun,  it  was  the 


2  A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

aurora  borealis.  Aurora?  Who  was  she  and 
why  did  she  live  in  that  cold,  cold  country,  the 
home  of  Hoder,  the  gray  old  god  of  winter?  " 

The  phenomenon  of  the  aurora  was  ex- 
plained to  us,  but  to  our  childish  imagination 
Aurora  ever  remained  a  maiden  whose  wonder- 
ful hair  of  rainbow  tints  lit  up  the  northern 
sky. 

We  talked  of  Aurora,  we  dreamed  of 
Aurora,  and  now  we  are  off  to  see  the  charming 
ice  maiden  of  our  childhood  fancy. 

Off  to  Alaska.  For  years  we  have  dreamed 
of  it;  for  days  and  weeks  we  have  breakfasted 
on  Rocky  Mountain  flora,  lunched  on  icebergs 
and  glaciers  and  dined  on  totem  poles  and  In- 
dian chiefs. 

Much  of  the  charm  of  travel  in  any  country 
comes  of  the  glamour  with  which  fable  and 
legend  have  enshrouded  its  historic  places. 

America  is  rapidly  developing  a  legendary 
era.  Travel  up  and  down  the  shores  of  the 
historic  Hudson  and  note  her  fabled  places. 

The  ""  Headless  Hessian  "  still  chases  timid 
"  Ichabods  "  through  "  Sleepy  Hollow."  "  Rip 
Van  Winkle/'  the  happy-go-lucky  fellow,  still 
stalks  the  Catskills,  gun  in  hand.  The  death 
light  of  "  Jack  Welsh  "  may  be  seen  on  a  sum- 


Auf  Wiedersehen 


3 


mer's  night  off  the  coast  of  Pond  Cove. 
"  Mother  Crew's  "  evil  spirit  haunts  Plymouth, 
while  "  Skipper  Ireson "  floats  off  Marble 
Head  in  his  ill-fated  smack. 

With  a  cloud  for  a  blanket  the  "  Indian 
Witch  "  of  the  Catskills  sits  on  her  mountain 
peak  sending  forth  fair  weather  and  foul  at  her 
pleasure,  while  the  pygmies  distil  their  magic 
liquor  in  the  valley  below. 

"  Atlantis  "  lies  fathoms  deep  in  the  blue 
waters  of  the  Atlantic,  and  the  "  Flying  Dutch- 
man "  haunts  the  South  Seas. 

We  have  our  Siegfried  and  our  Thor,  whom 
men  call  Washington  and  Franklin.  Our 
"  Hymer  "  splits  rocks  and  levels  mountains 
with  his  devil's  eye,  though  we  call  him  dyna- 
mite. 

Israel  Putnam  and  Daniel  Boone  may  yet  live 
in  history  as  the  Theseus  and  Perseus  of  our 
heroic  age. 

Certainly  our  country  has  her  myths  and  her 
folk  lore. 

In  time  America,  too,  will  have  her  saga 
book. 

Yonder,  Black  Hawk,  chief  of  the  Sac,  Fox, 
and  Winnebago  Indians,  made  his  last  stand, 
was  defeated  by  General  Scott,  captured  and 


4  A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

carried  to  Washington  and  other  cities  of  the 
East,  where  he  recognized  the  power  of  the  na- 
tion to  which  he  had  come  in  contact.  Return- 
ing to  his  people,  he  advised  them  that  resist- 
ance was  useless.  The  Indians  then  abandoned 
the  disputed  lands  and  retired  into  Iowa. 

Just  north  of  Chicago  we  passed  field  after 
field  yellow  with  the  bloom  of  mustard.  Call- 
ing the  porter  I  asked  him  what  was  being  grown 
yonder.  He  looked  puzzled  for  a  moment,  then 
his  face  lighted  up  with  the  inspiration  of  a 
happy  thought  as  he  replied : 

"  That,  Madam,  is  dandelion. " 

"  O,  thank  you;  I  suppose  that  they  are  being 
grown  for  the  Chicago  market?  "  said  I,  know- 
ing that  dandelion  greens  with  the  buds  in  blos- 
som and  full  bloom  are  considered  a  delicacy 
in  the  city. 

"  No,  Madam,"  answered  my  porter  wise, 
"  I  don't  think  them  fields  is  being  cultivated 
at  all." 

I  forebore  to  point  out  to  him  the  well  kept 
fence  and  the  marks  of  the  plow  along  it,  but 
brought  my  field  glasses  into  play  and  discov- 
ered that  the  disputed  fields  had  been  sown  to 
oats,  but  the  oats  were  being  smothered  out  by 
the  mustard. 


Auf  Wiedersehen  5 

Wisconsin  is  a  beautiful  state.  Had  the 
French  government  cultivated  the  rich  lands  of 
the  Mississippi  valley  and  developed  its  mineral 
resources  as  urged  by  Joliet,  Wisconsin  might 
still  be  a  French  territory.  But  all  his  plans 
for  colonization  were  rejected  by  the  govern- 
ment he  served.  A  map  of  this  country  over 
which  Joliet  traveled  may  be  seen  in  the 
Archives  de  la  Marine,  Paris,  France,  to-day. 

The  soil  is  light  and  farming  in  Wisconsin 
is  along  different  lines  from  that  of  her  sister 
state,  Illinois.  In  every  direction  great  dairy 
barns  dot  the  landscape.  Corn  is  grown  almost 
entirely  for  fodder.  The  seasons  here  are  too 
short  to  mature  it  properly.  In  planting  corn 
for  fodder  it  is  sown  much  as  are  wheat  and 
oats. 

The  principal  crops  of  this  great  state  are 
flax,  oats,  hops,  and  I  might  add  ice.  Large 
ice  houses  are  seen  on  every  side.  Much  of  the 
country  is  yet  wild.  Acres  of  virgin  prairie 
just  now  aglow  with  wild  flowers,  take  me  back 
to  my  childhood,  when  we  spent  whole  days  on 
the  prairie,  "  Where  the  great  warm  heart  of 
God  beat  down  in  the  sunshine  and  up  from  the 
sod;  "  where  Marguerites  and  black-eyed 
Susans  nodded  in  the  golden  sunshine,  and  the 


6  A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

thistle  for  very  joy  tossed  off  her  purple  bon- 
net. 

Here  and  there  in  northern  Illinois  and  Wis- 
consin kettle  holes  mark  the  track  of  the  glaciers 
that  once  flowed  down  from  the  great  neve 
fields  of  Manitoba  and  the  Hudson  lake  district. 

In  traveling  across  Wisconsin  one  is  re- 
minded of  the  time  when  witches,  devils,  magi- 
cians, and  manitous  held  sway  over  the  Indian 
mind. 

Milwaukee  is  a  name  of  Indian  origin, — 
Mahn-a-wau-kie,  anglicized  into  Milwaukee — 
means  in  the  language  of  the  Winnebagoes, 
rich,  beautiful  land. 

According  to  an  Indian  legend  the  name  comes 
from  mahn-wau,  a  root  of  wonderful  medicinal 
properties.  The  healing  power  of  this  root, 
found  only  in  this  locality,  was  so  great  that  the 
Chippewas  on  Lake  Superior  would  give  a 
beaver  skin  for  a  finger  length  piece. 

The  market  place  now  stands  on  the  site  of  a 
forest-clad  hill,  which  had  been  consecrated  to 
the  Great  Manitou.  Here  tomahawks  were 
belted  and  knives  were  sheathed.  Here  the 
tribes  of  all  the  surrounding  country  met  to 
hold  the  peace  dance  which  preceded  the  relig- 
ious festival.  At  the  close  of  the  religious  serv- 


Auf  Wiedersehen  7 

ices  each  Indian  carried  away  with  him  from 
the  holy  hill  a  memento  to  worship  as  an  amu- 
let. 

It  was  the  greatest  wish,  the  most  passionate 
desire  of  every  Indian  to  be  buried  at  the  foot 
of  this  hill  on  the  bank  of  the  Mahn-a-wau-kie. 

Recent  investigation  has  shown  that  Wiscon- 
sin was  the  dwelling  place  of  strange  tribes 
long  before  the  advent  of  the  Indian. 

The  Dells  of  the  Wisconsin  river  was  a 
favorite  resort  of  the  Indian  manitous.  Yon- 
der is  a  chasm  fifty  feet  wide,  across'  which 
Black  Hawk  leaped  when  fleeing  from  the 
whites.  He  surely  had  the  aid  of  the  nether 
world. 

In  this  beautiful  region,  hemmed  in  by  rug- 
ged bowlder  cliffs,  lies  a  veritable  Sleepy  Hol- 
low. In  a  dense  wood  back  of  the  cliff  stands 
the  mythical  "  lost  cabin."  Many  have  lost 
their  way  searching  for  it.  The  strange  thing 
about  it  is  that  they  who  have  once  found  it 
are  never  able  to  find  it  again.  Weird  stories 
are  told  about  it.  Its  logs  are  old  and  strange, 
different  from  the  wood  of  the  dark  old  forest 
in  which  it  stands.  There  are  stories  afloat  that 
it  is  haunted  by  its  former  inhabitants,  who 
move  it  about  from  place  to  place. 


8  A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

At  the  foot  of  this  rugged  cliff  lies  Devil's 
lake.  At  the  head  of  this  fathomless  body  of 
water  is  a  mound  built  in  the  form  of  an  eagle 
with  wings  outspread.  Here,  no  doubt,  lies 
buried  a  great  chief.  Nothing  is  left  in  Wis- 
consin to-day  of  the  Indian  but  footprints, — 
mounds,  graves,  legends  and  myths. 

At  Devil's  Lake  lived  a  manitou  of  wonder- 
ful power.  This  lake  fills  the  crater  of  an  ex- 
tinct volcano.  Now  this  manitou,  so  the  tale 
runs,  piled  up  those  heavy  blocks  of  stone, 
which  form  the  Devil's  Doorway.  He  also 
set  up  Black  Monument  and  Pedestaled  Bowl- 
der for  thrones  where  he  might  sit  and  view 
the  landscape  o'er  when  on  his  visits  to  the 
earth.  These  visits  have  ceased,  since  the  white 
man  possesses  the  country.  One  day  this  won- 
derful manitou  aimed  a  dart  at  a  bad  Indian 
and  missing  him,  cleft  a  huge  rock  in  twain, 
which  is  now  known  as  Cleft  Rock.  At  night, 
long  ago,  he  might  have  been  seen  sitting  on 
one  of  his  thrones  or  peeping  out  of  the  Devil's 
Doorway  watching  the  dance  of  the  frost  fairies 
or  gazing  at  the  aurora  flaming  through  the 
night. 

Every  night  at  midnight  Gitche  Manitou  ap- 
pears in  the  middle  of  the  lake. 


JUNCTION  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI  AND  BLACK  RIVERS, 


OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 


Auf  Wiedersehen  9 

In  days  gone  by  a  strange,  wild  creature, 
known  as  the  Red  Dwarf,  roamed  the  region  of 
the  great  lakes,  haunting  alike  the  lives  of  red 
man  and  white. 

The  snake  god,  the  stone  god,  the  witch  of 
pictured  rocks,  were-wolves  and  wizards  held 
sway  in  that  charmed  region  where  San  Souci, 
Jean  Beaugrand's  famous  horse,  despite  his 
hundred  years,  leaped  wall  of  fort  and  stockade 
at  pleasure. 

At  LaCrosse  we  crossed  Black  river  into 
Minnesota  and  shortly  after  crossed  the  Missis- 
sippi. LaCrosse,  although  French,  originally, 
means  a  game  played  by  the  Indian  maidens 
on  the  ice.  The  heights  on  either  side  of  the 
Mississippi  river  remind  one  of  the  Catskills 
along  the  Hudson.  Indeed,  the  scenery  is  very 
similar.  You  easily  imagine  yonder  cliffs  to  be 
the  palisades.  Here,  a  spur  of  the  Catskills 
range  and  the  little  valley  between  might  be 
Sleepy  Hollow.  But  you  miss  the  historic 
places — Washington's  headquarters,  Tarry- 
town,  West  Point  and  others.  Like  forces  pro- 
duce like  results.  When  you  have  seen  the 
Hudson  river  and  its  environs  you  have  seen 
the  upper  Mississippi. 

St.  Paul  and  Minneapolis  form  the  commer- 


io         A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

cial  center  of  the  North.  Although  the  ground 
freezes  from  fifteen  to  sixteen  feet,  the  concrete 
sidewalks  and  pavements  show  no  effect  of  the 
touch  of  Jack  Frost's  icy  fingers.  The  street- 
cars here  are  larger  and  heavier  than  any  I 
have  ever  seen.  Then,  too,  they  have  large 
wheels,  and  that  sets  them  up  so  high.  This  is 
on  account  of  the  snow,  which  lasts  from 
Thanksgiving  to  Easter,  good  sleighing  all  the 
time. 

The  French  and  Indian  have  left  to  this  re- 
gion a  nomenclature  peculiarly  its  own.  There 
is  Bear  street  and  White  Bear  street.  In  the 
shop  windows  are  displayed  headgear  marked 
Black  Bear,  White  Bear  and  Red  Cloud.  There 
are  on  sale  Indian  dolls,  Indian  slippers,  French 
soldier  dolls,  Red  Indian  tobacco,  showing 
the  influence  still  existing  of  the  two  peoples. 
One  sees  many  French  faces  and  hears  that 
language  quite  often  on  the  streets  and  in  the 
cars. 

The  falls  of  St.  Anthony  are  at  the  foot  of 
Fifth  street  in  Minneapolis.  The  water  does 
not  come  leaping  over,  but  pours  over  easily 
and  smoothly  in  one  solid  sheet.  On  either  bank 
of  the  river  are  located  the  largest  flouring 
mills  in  the  world.  Not  a  drop  of  the  old  Mis- 


FALLS  OF  SAINT  ANTHONY. 


Auf  Wiedersehen  1 1 

sissippi  that  comes  sweeping  over  the  falls  but 
pays  tribute  in  furnishing  power  for  these  mills. 
Huge  iron  turbine  wheels  that  twenty  men 
could  not  lift  are  turned  as  easily  as  a  child 
rolls  a  hoop. 

On  the  site  of  these  mills  long  ago  were 
camped  the  Dakotas.  They  had  just  cpme 
down  from  another  village  where  one  of  the 
men  had  married  another  wife  and  brought 
her  along.  The  woman  was  stronger  than  the 
savage  in  wife  number  one,  and  when  the  In- 
dians broke  camp  and  packed  up  their  canoes 
and  goods  for  the  journey  to  the  foot  of  the 
falls,  the  forsaken  wife,  taking  her  child, 
leaped  into  a  canoe  and  rowed  with  a  steady 
hand  down  stream  toward  the  falls.  Her 
husband  saw  her  and  called  to  her,  but  she 
seemed  not  to  hear  him  and  she  did  not  even 
turn  her  head  when  his  comrades  joined  him 
in  his  cries.  On  swept  the  boat,  while  the 
broken-hearted  wife  sang  her  death-song. 
Presently  the  falls  were  reached.  The  boat 
trembled  for  a  moment,  then  turning  sideways, 
was  dashed  to  pieces  on  the  rocks  below. 

Minnesota  was  the  land  of  Gitche  Manitou 
the  Mighty  and  Mudjekeewis.  Mackinack  was 
the  home  of  Hiawatha  and  old  Nokomis.  There 


1 2         A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

Gitche  Manitou  made  Adam  and  Eve  and 
placed  them  in  the  Indian  Garden  of  Eden.  One 
day  Manitou  or  Great  God  made  a  turtle  and 
dropped  it  into  Lake  Huron.  When  it  came  up 
with  a  mouth  full  of  mud,  Manitou  took  the 
mud  and  made  the  island  of  Mackinack. 

As  we  steamed  up  the  Mississippi  to  the  falls 
of  Minnehaha  we  had  a  good  view  of  the  bank 
swallows  in  their  homes  in  the  sandstone 
banks  along  the  river.  The  action  of  the  air 
on  sandstone  hardens  a  very  thin  crust  on 
the  surface,  and  when  this  is  scraped  off  one  can 
easily  dig  into  the  bank.  The  swallows  are 
geologists  enough  to  know  this  and  hundreds 
of  them  have  dug  holes  in  the  perpendicular 
walls.  Here  the  chattering,  noisy  little  cave- 
dwellers  fly  in  and  out  all  day  long,  flying  up 
over  the  cliffs  and  away  in  search  of  food  or 
resting  in  the  shrubbery  which  grows  in  the 
water  near  by.  It  is  a  pretty  sight  to  see  the 
happy  little  fellows  skim  the  water.  It  makes 
you  wish  that  you,  too,  had  wings. 

At  the  entrance  of  Minnehaha  park  we  were 
greeted  by  a  merry  wood  thrush,  whose  voice 
is  melodious  beyond  description.  There  he  sat 
on  a  swaggy  limb  not  ten  feet  from  us.  We 
were  familiar  with  his  biography  and  recog- 


FALLS  OF  MINNEHAHA. 


Auf  Wiedersehen  i  3 

nized  him  by  his  brown  and  white  speckled  coat. 
We  advanced  cautiously.  We  had  come  six 
hundred  miles  to  see  him  and  I  think  he  knew  it, 
too,  for  when  we  were  so  near  that  we  could 
have  taken  him  in  our  hands  he  recognized  our 
presence  by  nodding  his  graceful  head  first  this 
way,  then  that,  and  sang  on.  We  spent  some 
ten  minutes  with  him,  then  "  bon  voyage  "  he 
sang  out  as  we  passed  on. 

Three  miles  above  Minneapolis  are  the  beau- 
tiful falls  of  Minnehaha,  Laughing  Water. 
These  falls  are  beautiful  beyond  the  power  of 
my  pen  to  describe.  The  water  does  not  pour 
over,  but  comes  leaping  and  dancing,  like  one 
great  shower  of  diamonds,  pearls,  sapphires  and 
rubies.  The  vast  sheet  of  water  sixty-five  feet 
high  reminds  one  of  a  bridal  veil  decked  with 
gems  and  sprinkled  with  diamond  dust. 

"  Where  the  falls  of  Minnehaha 
Flash  and  gleam  among  the  oak  trees, 
Laugh  and  leap  into  the  valley." 

It  was  here  that  Hiawatha  came  courting  the 
lovely  maiden  Minnehaha.  The  falls  are  sur- 
rounded by  a  government  park.  Hurrying  along 
through  glen  and  dale,  looking  for  the  falls, 
we  met  a  party  of  young  ladies  who  were  hav- 
ing a  picnic  in  the  park. 


14         A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

I  accosted  one  of  them,  "  Beg  pardon,  Made- 
moiselle, can  you  tell  me  where  to  find  the 
falls?" 

She  looked  astonished  for  a  moment.  "  The 
falls  of  what?" 

"  The  falls  of  Minnehaha." 

"  O,  I  don't  know;  never  heard  of  her,"  re- 
plied my  maiden  fair  as  she  turned  and  tripped 
away. 

It  has  always  seemed  so  strange  to  me  that 
people  living  near  places  of  interest  are  often- 
times ignorant  of  the  fact. 

We  next  met  a  youth  of  some  fourteen  sum- 
mers, who  knew  the  history  of  St.  Paul,  Minne- 
apolis and  their  environs.  He  could  tell  you  all 
about  the  big  mills,  the  soldiers,  the  barracks 
and  old  Fort  Snelling.  He  knew  the  story  of 
Minnehaha,  too;  had  been  to  the  falls  hundreds 
of  times,  and  knew  the  Song  of  Hiawatha  as 
he  knew  his  alphabet.  Gitche  Manitou  had  but 
to  set  his  foot  on  the  earth  and  a  mighty  river 
flowed  from  his  tracks.  Mudjekeewis  was  a 
great  warrior,  but  Hiawatha  was  his  hero.  It 
was  with  genuine  regret  that  we  bade  good-by 
to  this  interesting  youth. 

Our  next  visit  was  to  old  Fort  Snelling,  three 
miles  out  from  St.  Paul.  This  fort  was  built 


OLD  FORT  SNELLING. 


Auf  Wiedersehen  15 

in  1820.  It  is  round,  two  stories  high  and  is 
constructed  of  stone.  The  old  fort,  of  course, 
is  not  used  now.  The  regular  soldiers  stationed 
here  are  located  in  delightful  quarters.  The 
barracks  are  just  beyond  the  old  fort.  The 
hospital  is  a  large,  commodious  building  of 
stone.  The  parade  field  is  a  delightful  bit  of 
rolling  prairie.  The  barracks  are  quite  deserted 
now,  most  of  the  regiment  being  in  the  Philip- 
pines. Only  a  small  detachment  of  twenty-five 
troops  remains  to  take  care  of  the  property. 
Fort  Snelling  was  the  rendezvous  of  the  Chip- 
pewas  and  the  Sioux  in  the  old  days  of  Indian 
occupation. 

While  the  two  tribes  smoked  the  pipe  of 
peace  and  made  protestations  of  friendship  they 
might  not  intermarry. 

At  one  of  these  meetings  a  Sioux  brave  won 
the  heart  of  a  Chippewa  maiden.  Their  love 
they  kept  a  secret,  but  when  the  tribes  met  again 
at  old  Fort  Snelling  a  quarrel  arose  among  the 
young  warriors  which  resulted  in  the  death  of 
a  Sioux. 

The  Sioux  fell  upon  the  Chippewas  with  the 
cry  of  extermination. 

In  the  midst  of  battle  lover  and  loved  one 
met,  but  for  a  moment.  They  were  swept 


1 6         A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

apart  and  the  young  warrior  knew  that  the  fair 
maiden  lived  only  in  the  land  of  shadows. 

There  dwells  in  the  river  at  the  falls  of  Saint 
Anthony  a  dusky  Undine.  She  was  once  a 
mermaid  living  in  a  placid  lake,  longing  for  a 
soul  which  the  good  Manitou  finally  promised 
her  upon  her  marriage  with  a  mortal.  The 
mortal  appeared  one  day  in  the  form  of 
a  handsome  Ottawa  brave,  and  to  him 
the  beautiful  mermaid  told  her  tale  of 
woe.  The  two  were  wed.  The  mermaid 
received  her  soul  and  the  form  of  a  human,  but 
her  new  relatives  disliked  her.  They  quarreled 
over  her  and  at  last  the  Ottawas  and  the  Adir- 
ondacks  fought  over  her,  and  threw  her  into 
the  river.  There  she  lives  to  this  day,  thank- 
fully giving  up  her  soul  for  the  peace  and  quiet 
of  a  mermaid's  life. 

This  is  the  home  of  the  pine  and  the  birch. 
The  white  melilotus  grows  rank  in  the  byways 
of  Minneapolis. 

The  horse  may  not  have  to  go,  but  the  bicycle 
has  surely  come  to  stay.  A  unique  figure  on  the 
streets  of  St.  Paul  is  a  window  washer,  black 
as  the  ace  of  spades,  mounted  on  a  wheel.  Rags 
of  all  sorts  and  conditions  hang  from  his 
pockets.  He  carries  his  brushes  aloft  a  la 


ROADWAY,  SOLDIER'S  BARRACKS,  FORT  SNELLING. 


Auf  Wiedersehen  17 

"  Sancho  Panza."  He  rides  up  to  the  curb- 
stone, dismounts,  leans  his  steed  against  the 
curb,  washes  his  windows  and  rides  away  at  a 
pace  that  would  make  "  Don  Quixote's  sleepy 
squire  open  his  eyes  in  amazement. 

A  beautiful  morning  in  June  finds  us  aboard 
the  Great  Northern  Flyer,  bound  for  the  Pacific 
coast.  We  were  soon  up  on  the  river  bluffs. 
Here  is  some  fine  farming  land,  the  only  draw- 
back being  the  lack  of  well  water.  The  geo- 
logical formation  is  entirely  different  from 
that  of  Indiana  and  Illinois,  where  water  may 
be  had  on  the  bluffs  as  easily  as  lower  down 
toward  the  riverbed.  Here  the  underground 
water  current  lies  on  a  level  with  the  bed  of  the 
river  and  a  well  must  go  down  five  or  six  hun- 
dred feet  through  the  bluff  before  water  is  ob- 
tained. 

Our  route  here  follows  the  Mississippi,  which 
in  places  is  jammed  with  rafts  of  logs  on  their 
way  down  to  the  saw  mills.  Each  log  bears 
the  owner's  mark.  One  sees  many  logs,  big 
fellows  worth  ten  or  fifteen  dollars,  which  have 
slipped  from  their  rafts  and  like  independent 
boys,  get  lost  in  all  sorts  of  places. 

George  Monte  was  an  Indian  lumberman  of 
th-  north.  He  worked  at  a  chute  where  the  logs 


1 8         A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

were  floated  down  to  the  river  and  held  back  by 
a  gate  until  it  was  time  to  send  them  through 
en  masse.  When  all  was  ready  the  foreman  or- 
dered the  log  drivers  to  open  the  gate.  One 
chilly  night  the  order  came  to  open  the  gate. 
The  night  was  dark  and  the  men  drew  lots  to 
see  who  should  attempt  the  dangerous  feat. 
Monte  drew  what  was  to  him  the  fatal  slip. 
Without  a  word  he  opened  the  door  and 
passed  cut  into  the  night.  The  jam  was  broken 
and  the  logs  passed  through,  but  hours  passed 
and  Monte  failed  to  return.  Then  his  com- 
panions went  in  search  of  him.  Investigation 
showed  that  the  big  gate  which  sank  by  its  own 
weight  when  the  pins  had  been  removed,  was 
held  by  some  obstruction.  The  object  was  re- 
moved with  long  spike-poles  and  proved  to  be 
the  mangled  body  of  Monte.  The  chute  was 
soon  abandoned,  for  every  night  at  midnight 
his  ghost  walks  the  banks.  His  moans  can  be 
distinctly  heard  above  the  swish  and  lap  of  the 

water. 

On  the  Coteau  des  Prairies  (side  of  the 
prairies)  in  Minnesota,  pipe-stone,  a  smooth 
clay,  from  which  hundreds  of  Indians  have  cut 
their  pipes,  forms  a  wall  two  miles  long  and 
thirty  feet  high.  In  front  of  the  wall  lie  five  big 


Auf  Wiedersehen  19 

bowlders  dropped  there  by  the  glaciers.  Under 
these  bowlders  lies  the  spirit  of  a  squaw,  which 
must  be  propitiated  before  the  stone  is  cut.  This 
quarry  was  neutral  ground  for  all  the  tribes. 
Here  knives  were  sheathed  and  tomahawks 
belted.  To  this  place  came  the  Great  Spirit 
to  kill  and  eat  the  buffalo  of  the  prairies.  The 
thunder  bird  had  her  nest  here  and  the  clashing 
of  the  iron  wings  of  her  young  brood  created 
the  storms.  Once  upon  a  time,  when  a  snake 
crawled  into  the  nest  to  steal  the  young  thun- 
derers,  Manitou,  the  Great  Spirit,  seized  a  piece 
of  pipe  stone  and  pressing  it  into  the  form  of  a 
man,  hurled  it  at  the  snake.  The  clay  man 
missed  the  snake  and  struck  the  ground.  He 
turned  to  stone  and  there  he  stood  for  a  thou- 
sand years.  He  grew  to  manhood's  stature 
and  in  time  another  shape,  that  of  a  woman 
grew  beside  him.  One  day  the  red  pair  wan- 
dered away  over  the  plains.  From  this  pair 
sprang  all  the  red  people. 

From  St.  Paul  to  Fargo  not  a  stalk  of  corn 
was  to  be  seen,  but  there  was  field  after  field  of 
fine  wheat.  This  part  of  Minnesota  is  much 
more  thickly  settled  than  immediately  around 
St.  Paul  and  Minneapolis.  Morehead  in  Min- 
nesota and  Fargo,  across  the  line  in  Dakota, 


2o         A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

are  thriving  towns.  The  country  here  looks 
like  Illinois.  The  lay  of  the  land  is  the  same 
and  groves  and  houses  dot  the  landscape.  Here 
dwelt  the  Dakota  tribes  from  which  the  states 
of  Dakota  and  Minnesota  take  their  names. 
Here  came  Hiawatha  and  his  bride,  Minnehaha, 
whom  he  won  at  St.  Paul  when  the  tribe  was 
visiting  that  country,  for  Minnehaha  was  a  Da- 
kota girl,  you  remember. 

Hiawatha's  fight  with  his  father  began  on 
the  upper  Mississippi  and  the  bowlders  found 
there  wrere  their  missiles.  Hiawatha  fought 
against  him  for  many  long  days  before  peace 
was  declared  between  them. 

The  evil  Peace  Father  had  slain  one  of  Hia- 
watha's relatives.  He  engaged  him  in  combat 
all  the  hot  day  long.  They  battled  to  no  pur- 
pose, but  the  next  day  a  woodpecker  flew  over- 
head and  cried  out,  "  Your  enemy  has  but  one 
vulnerable  point;  shoot  at  his  scalp-lock."  Hia- 
watha did  this  and  the  Peace  Father  fell  dead. 
Taking  some  of  the  blood  on  his  finger  the 
victor  touched  the  woodpecker  on  the  head  and 
the  red  mark  is  seen  on  every  woodpecker  to 
this  day. 

Dakota  as  well  as  Wisconsin  has  her  Devil's 
Lake,  about  which  hang  many  legends,  but  un- 


Auf  Wiedersehen  21 

like  that  of  Wisconsin  the  Great  Spirit,  Gitche 
Manitou,  does  not  appear  in  the  middle  of  it 
every  night  at  twelve  o'clock. 

Indians  as  well  as  whites  believe  in  a  coming 
Messiah.  In  1890  a  frenzy  swept  over  the 
northwest,  inspiring  the  Indians  to  believe  that 
the  Messiah,  who  was  no  less  than  Hiawatha 
himself,  and  who  was  to  sweep  the  white  people 
off  the  face  of  the  earth,  would  soon  arrive.  Da- 
kota was  the  meeting  ground  of  the  tribes.  Sit- 
ting Bull,  a  Sioux  chief,  told  them  in  assembly 
that  he  had  seen  the  wonderful  Messiah  while 
hunting  in  the  mountains.  He  told  them  that 
having  lost  his  way,  he  followed  a  star 
which  led  him  to  a  wonderful  valley, 
where  he  saw  throngs  of  chiefs  long  dead,  as 
they  appeared  in  a  spirit  dance.  Christ  was 
there,  too,  and  showed  him  the  nail  wounds  in 
his  hands  and  feet  and  the  place  where  the 
spear  pierced  his  side.  Then  the  old  rogue  re- 
turned to  his  people  and  taught  them  the  ghost 
dance,  which  caused  the  whites  so  much  trouble. 

Dakota  is  a  beautiful  state.  The  land  along 
the  route  of  the  Great  Northern  railway  lies 
more  level  than  in  Minnesota.  The  crops  are 
looking  well  in  this  region.  There  seems  to  be 
but  one  drawback  to  farming  here  and  that  is  the 


22         A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

famous  Russian  thistle  imported  a  few  years 
ago.  The  principal  crops  are  oats,  barley  and 
wheat.  Rye  bread  is  plenty  and  good,  too. 
Out  there  on  the  broad  cheek  of  the  Dakota 
prairie  the  weeds  are  holding  high  revelry. 
Some  of  the  same  old  weeds  we  have  at  home 
and  many  which  are  new  to  the  writer.  Wild 
ducks  build  their  nests  in  the  tall  grass  of  the 
ponds  just  as  they  did  in  Illinois  thirty  years 
ago. 

At  Minot,  Dakota,  we  set  our  watches  to 
Mountain  time,  turning  them  back  one  hour. 
We  arrived  at  Minot  at  n  :io  P.  MV  remained 
fifteen  minutes  and  left  at  10:25.  At  9:15 
o'clock  the  sun  was  just  sinking  in  the  west. 
It  does  not  get  dark  here,  only  twilight. 
At  10  o'clock  the  moon  came  up  and  we  bade 
good  night  to  Saturday. 

Sunday  we  spent  in  the  Bad  Lands  of  Mon- 
tana. "  Hell  with  the  fires  out  "  is  the  popular 
name  given  to  the  Bad  Lands  in  the  wild,  fear- 
less nomenclature  of  the  west.  It  is  an  ancient 
sea  bottom.  The  lower  strata  is  clay  and  the 
one  above  it  is  sand.  They  are  wild  and  rug- 
ged beyond  description.  The  action  of  the  air, 
wind  and  storm  have  worn  them  into  towers, 
citadels  and  fantastic  peaks. 


Auf  Wiedersehen 


23 


The  highly  colored  scoria  rocks  crop  out 
here  and  there,  adding1  a  beauty  of  their  own. 
Summer  and  winter,  long  before  the  advent  of 
the  white  man  the  coal  mines  in  this  region 
were  burning.  Looking  down  into  the  fiery 
furnace  one  may  see  the  white-hot  glow  of  the 
coal  and  the  heated  rocks  glowing  with  a  white 
heat.  Rattlesnakes  wriggle  through  the  short 
grass.  Quails  and  grouse  fly  up  and  away. 

There  is  a  banshee  in  the  Bad  Lands  whose 
cries  chill  your  blood  if  you  happen  to  hear  her, 
which  I  did  not.  She  is  most  frequently  seen 
on  a  hill  south  of  Watch  Dog  Butte,  in  Dakota, 
her  flowing  hair  and  her  long  arms  tossing  in 
wild  gestures,  make  a  weird  picture  in  the 
moonlight.  Cattle  will  not  remain  near 
the  butte  and  cowboys  fear  the  banshee  and 
her  companion,  a  skeleton  that  walks 
about  and  haunts  the  camps  in  the  vicinity. 
Leave  a  violin  lying  near  and  he  will 
seize  it  and  away,  playing  the  most  weird 
music,  but  you  must  not  follow  him,  for  he  will 
lead  you  into  pits  and  foot  falls.  The  explana- 
tion of  £dl  this  is  the  phosphorus  found  in  this 
vicinity,  which  glows  in  the  night  air. 

Standing  Rock  agency  is  the  best  known  of 
our  frontier  posts.  The  rock  from  which  the 


24         A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

post  takes  its  name  is  only  about  three  feet  high 
and  two  feet  in  width.  This  rock  was  once  a 
beautiful  Indian  bride  who  starved  herself  to 
death  upon  her  husband  marrying  a  second 
wife.  After  her  death  the  Great  Manitou 
turned  her  to  stone,  and  here  she  stands  to  this 
day. 

Glasgow,  Montana,  lies  in  the  midst  of  the 
Sioux  reservation.  Like  the  Spartans  of  old, 
these  warriors  of  the  plains  dwell  in  tents  dur- 
ing a  part  of  every  year.  Just  beyond  the 
town  tepees  now  dot  the  landscape  where  for 
a  brief  space  the  red  man  forgets  the  things 
taught  'him  by  his  white  brother  and  resumes 
his  old  wild  ways,  but  at  the  approach  of  winter 
he  abandons  his  tent  and  returns  to  his  log 
cabin  and  to  civilization. 

The  Indian  costume  is  a  mixture  of  savage 
and  civilized  dress,  looking  more  like  that  of  the 
Raggedy  Man  than  any  other. 

Blackfoot  is  a  village  in  the  heart  of  the 
Blackfeet  reservation,  lying  just  west  of  that 
of  the  Sioux.  These  people,  like  the  ancient 
Greeks,  reverence  the  butterfly. 

"  Ah !  "  exclaim  these  red  children  of  nature 
when  they  see  one  of  these  Psyches  of  the  prai- 
rie flitting  from  flower  to  flower  over  the  green 


Auf  Wiedersehen  25 

meadow,  "ah,  see  him  now.  He  is  gathering  the 
dreams  which  he  will  bring  to  us  in  our  sleep." 
If  you  see  the  sign  for  the  butterfly  which  is 
something  like  a  maltese  cross  painted  on  a 
lodge,  you  will  know  that  the  owner  was  taught 
how  to  decorate  his  lodge,  in  a  dream  by  an 
apunni, — butterfly.  A  Blackfeet  woman  em- 
broiders a  butterfly  on  a  piece  of  buckskin  and 
ties  it  on  her  baby's  head  when  she  wishes  to 
put  it  to  sleep.  Wrapped  in  their  blankets  the 
Indians  stood  about  Blackfeet  village  as  we 
came  in  reminding  us  of  Longfellow's  address 
to  "Driving  Cloud:" 

"  Wrapt  in  thy  scarlet  blanket,  1  see  thee  stalk  through 

the  city's 
Narrow  and  populous  street,  as  once  by  the  margin  of 

rivers 
Stalked  those  birds  unknown  which  have  left  to  us  only 

their  footprints. 
What  in  a  few  short  years  will  remain  of  thy  race  but 

footprints? 
How  canst  thou  tread  these  streets,  who  hast  trod  the 

green  turf  of  the  prairies? 
How  canst  thou  breathe  this  air  who  hast  breathed  the 

sweet  air  of  the  mountains?" 

When  one  has  trod  the  velvety  green  turf  of 
the  prairies  and  breathed  the  sweet  air  of  the 
mountains  he  is  quite  ready  to  sympathize  with 
"  Driving  Cloud." 


26         A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

The  government  schools  for  the  Blackfeet 
Indians  are  located  in  a  valley  beyond  Black- 
feet  village.  The  schools  are  conducted  ex- 
actly as  our  public  schools  are,  only  that  the 
Blackfeet  children  must  go  to  school  ten  months 
in  the  year.  Think  of  that,  boys  and  girls. 
During  July  and  August  these  dusky  redskins 
get  a  vacation,  which  they  spend  with  their 
parents  and  for  the  time  being  return  to  the 
savage  state.  The  agent  told  me  they  were  al- 
ways quite  wild  upon  their  return  to  school 
after  two  months  of  hunting,  fishing  and  liv- 
ing in  tepees. 

Now  and  then  a  fine  covey  of  quails  or  prai- 
rie chickens  flies  up  and  away.  How  glad  they 
would  make  a  sportsman's  heart ! 

With  our  glasses  we  see  easily  two  hundred 
miles  in  this  rarefied  atmosphere.  I  discovered 
several  coyotes  running  along  a  ledge  in  the 
Bad  Lands  that  I  could  not  see  at  all  with  my 
naked  eye.  The  Sweet  Grass  mountains,  sixty 
miles  away  on  the  Canadian  line,  loom  up  so 
plainly  that  they  appear  to  be  only  two  miles 
distant.  With  the  aid  of  the  glasses  we  could 
see  the  vegetation  and  rocks  on  the  sides  of  the 
mountains  quite  plainly. 

The  United  States  geological  survey  reports 


Auf  Wiedersehen  27 

Montana  the  best  watered  state  in  the  Union. 
It  has  more  large  rivers  than  all  of  the  states 
west  of  the  Mississippi  combined.  Milk  river 
is  five  hundred  miles  long.  This  valley 
is  one  of  the  finest  in  Montana.  Here  irriga- 
tion is  a  perfect  success. 

Here  one  sees  the  cowboy  in  all  his  pictur- 
esqueness.  The  saddle  is  your  true  seat  of  em- 
pire. Montana  cattle  bring  a  big  price  in  the 
Chicago  market.  The  top  price  paid  in  1897 
wras  five  dollars  per  hundredweight,  and  was 
paid  to  George  Draggs  for  a  shipment  from 
Valley  county.  I  would  almost  be  willing  to 
live  in  the  Bad  Lands  if  I  might  always  have 
my  table  supplied  with  the  juicy  mountain  beef 
which  we  have  been  eating  since  we  arrived  at 
St.  Paul. 

This  is  a  fine  sheep  as  well  as  cattle  country. 

Montana  is  not  all  sage  brush,  coyotes  and 
rattlesnakes. 

Montana  has  according  to  the  report  of  the 
secretary  of  the  interior  seventy  million  acres 
of  untillable  lands.  A  great  portion  of  this  land 
can  be  reclaimed  by  irrigation. 

We  passed  the  Little  Rockies  sixty  miles  to 
the  north  (the  distance  looked  to  be  only  about 
two  miles).  The  Bear  Paw  mountains  are 


28          A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

west  of  these.  The  Indians  are  very  supersti- 
tious about  the  mountains.  The  great  spirit, 
Manitou,  they  tell  us,  broke  a  hole  through  the 
floor  of  heaven  with  a  rock  and  on  the  spot 
where  it  fell  he  threw  down  more  rocks,  snow 
and  ice  until  the  pile  was  so  high  that  he  could 
step  from  the  summit  into  heaven. 

After  the  mountains  were  completed  Mani- 
tou by  running  his  hands  over  their  rugged 
sides,  forced  up  the  forests.  Then  he  plucked 
some  leaves,  blew  his  breath  upon  them  and 
gave  them  a  toss  in  the  air  and  lo  they  sailed 
away  in  the  breezy  blue  birds.  His  staff  he 
turned  into  beasts  and  fishes.  The  earth  be- 
came so  beautiful  he  decided  to  live  on  it  and 
starting  a  fire  in  Mt.  Shasta  he  burned  it  out  for 
a  wigwam. 

An  interesting  part  of  life  on  the  plains  is 
the  prairie  dog  and  his  town,  the  streets  of 
which  were  not  laid  out  by  an  engineer.  Each 
dog  selects  the  site  of  his  home  to  suit  his  taste. 
The  houses  are  about  the  size  of  a  wagon  wheel, 
almost  perfectly  round.  As  the  train  whirls 
by  they  sit  on  top  of  their  houses  looking  much 
like  soldiers  standing  guard.  The  dogs  are 
three  times  as  large  as  a  gopher  and  of  a  pale 
straw  color.  As  one  walks  toward  them,  down 


Auf  Wiedersehen  29 

they  go  through  the  door,  but  they  are  very  cu- 
rious and  presently  back  they  come  for  another 
look.  They  are  agile  and  graceful  in  move- 
ment. One  handsome  fellow  lay  on  the  pro- 
jecting sill  of  a  house  basking  in  the  sun.  We 
approached  very  near  before  he  saw  us.  The 
flies  were  annoying  him.  He  shook  his  head 
and  blinked  his  eyes  at  the  flies,  paying  little 
attention  to  us. 

The  wild  flowers  of  Montana  are  as  abundant 
and  beautiful  as  those  of  the  Alps,  and  more 
varied.  Shooting  stars  greet  the  spring. 
Dandelions  abound  but  do  not  reach  full 
rounded  perfection.  The  common  blue  lark- 
spur, however,  revels  in  the  cool  air  and  warm 
sunshine.  The  little  yellow  violet  which  haunts 
the  woods  in  the  eastern  states  makes  herself 
quite  at  home  here.  Blue  bells  nod  and  sway  in 
the  breeze,  little  ragged  sun  flowers  turn  their 
faces  to  the  sun  and  mitreworts  grow  every- 
where. 

Along  the  shady  streams  wild  currants  flaunt 
their  yellow  flags  while  hydrangea,  that  queen 
of  flowers,  lends  a  shade  to  the  violets  blooming 
at  her  feet.  Wild  roses  strew  the  ground  with 
their  delicate  petals.  Stately  lilies,  their  pur- 
ple stamens  contrasting  strangely  with  their 


30         A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

yellow  petals,  are  abundant.  The  most  dainty 
of  this  fair  host  is  the  golden  saxifrage,  and  the 
most  delicate  gold  thread,  whose  dainty,  slender 
roots  resemble  nothing  so  much  as  threads  of 
pure  gold. 

At  Havre,  Montana,  the  Twenty-fourth 
United  States  Infantry  came  aboard.  They 
are  stalwart  colored  soldiers  who  will  do  credit 
to  the  uniforms  they  wear.  They  go  to  San 
Francisco,  where  they  take  transports  for 
Manila.  The  good-bys  at  the  station  between 
the  soldiers  and  their  friends  and  relatives  were 
pathetic  indeed.  Not  one  of  the  brave  fellows 
but  acted  a  soldier's  part. 

Just  as  the  train  was  pulling  out  a  handsome 
girl  ran  along  one  of  the  cars  to  the  window 
calling  out  to  her  sweetheart : 

"  O,  lift  me  up  till  I  kiss  you  again." 

We  were  glad  when  two  big  black  hands 
came  out  through  the  open  window  and  strong 
arms  clasped  the  maiden  for  a  moment. 

Every  heart  beat  with  the  same  thought; 
how  many  of  these  brave  men  would  return 
from  the  deadly  Philippines? 

We  were  proud  of  the  Twenty-fourth  when 
they  bade  good-by  to  their  friends  at  Havre; 
we  were  proud  of  them  when  they  marched  up 


Auf  Wiedersehen  31 

the  street  at  Spokane;  we  are  proud  of  them 
still. 

The  officers  of  this  regiment  are  white. 
They  and  their  wives  came  into  our  car. 

The  conversation  was  enlivened  with  tales 
of  camp  life.  When  a  private,  one  officer  was 
greatly  annoyed  by  the  Indians,  who  came  day 
after  day  to  sit  in  the  shade  of  his  quarters, 
when  having  been  on  night  duty  he  wanted  to 
sleep.  He  bought  a  sun-glass  and  when  they 
began  talking  he  would  sit  down  at  the  window 
and  carelessly  with  the  glass  draw  a  focus  on 
one  of  his  tormentor's  feet.  With  a  yell 
worthy  an  Indian  with  the  bad  spirit  after  him 
he  would  bound  away,  followed  by  his  com- 
panions. Soon  they  would  return,  when  the 
glass  would  be  brought  into  play  with  the 
same  effect.  At  last  the  Indians  came  to 
believe  the  house  haunted  and  our  captain  was 
no  longer  troubled  by  his  red  brothers. 

After  forty  miles  of  mountain  climbing  we 
reached  the  summit  of  the  Rockies.  At  nine 
o'clock  we  were  still  in  the  mountains  and  the 
sun  \vas  still  shining. 

The  smallest  owl  in  the  world  has  his  home 
in  these  mountains.  It  is  the  Pigmy  owl,  but 
you  must  look  sharply  if  you  see  him  as  he  flits 


32         A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

from  limb  to  limb  and  hides  in  the  dense  fo- 
liage. The  Rocky  Mountain  blue  jay  is  not 
blue  at  all.  His  coat  is  a  reddish  brown,  he 
sports  a  black-crested  cap  and  has  black  bars  on 
his  wings  like  'his  Illinois  brothers. 

Flowers,  ice,  snow  and  mountain  torrents 
spread  out  in  one  grand  panorama.  Fleecy 
white  clouds  not  much  larger  than  one's  hand 
float  up  and  join  larger  ones  at  the  summit  of 
the  peaks.  There  is  no  grander  scene  on  earth 
than  this  range  of  snow-capped  mountains 
spread  out  in  mighty  panorama,  peak  after  peak 
and  turret  after  turret  glistening  in  the  golden 
sunshine  against  skies  as  blue  as  those  of 
Italy. 

"  Come  up  into  the  mountains — come  up  into  the  blue, 
Oh,  friend  down  in  the  valley,  the  way  is  clear  for  you ; 
The  path  is  full  of  perils,  and  devious,  but  your  feet 
May  safely  thread  its  windings,  and  reach  to  my  re- 
treat. 

The  mountains,  oh,  the  mountains !     How  all  the  am- 
bient air 

Bends -like  a  benediction,  and  all  the  soul  is  prayer. 
How  blithely  on  this  summit  the  echoing  wind's  refrain 
Invites  us  to  the  mountains — God's  eminent  domain. 
Oh,  soul  below  in  the  valley  where  aspirations  rise 
No  higher  than  the  plunging  of  water  fowl  that  flies, 
Come  up  into  the  mountains — come  up  into  the  blue  ; 
Leave  weary  leagues  behind  you  the  lowland's  meaner 
view, 


Auf  Wiedersehcn  33 

The    autumn's    rotting    verdure,    the    sapless    grasses 

-  browned, 
Come  where  the  snows  are  lilies  that  bloom  the  whole 

year  round. 

Here  in  the  subtle  spirit  of  all  these  climbing  hills, 
Man  may  achieve  his  dreaming,  and  be  the  thing  he 

wills.  — Joseph  Dana  Miller. 

When  one  has  felt  the  inspiration  which  the 
air  of  the  mountains  gives,  he  feels  that  he  may 
achieve  his  dreaming,  may  be  the  thing  he 
wills. 

Ten  o'clock  found  us  going  down  the  west- 
ern slope  of  the  Rockies  in  the  twilight.  Day- 
light comes  at  two  o'clock  in  the  morning.  All 
along  the  track  over  the  mountains  are  sta- 
tioned track  walkers,  who  live  in  little  shacks. 
Before  every  train  which  passes  over  the  road 
each  walker  goes  over  his  section  to  see  that  all 
is  well. 

All  the  Indians  east  of  the  Rockies  located 
the  Happy  Hunting  Ground  west  of  the  moun- 
tains and  those  west  of  the  divide  thought  it 
was  on  the  eastern  side,  and  that  every  red 
man's  soul  would  be  carried  over  on  a  cob-web 
float. 

At  Spokane  we  turned  our  watches  back 
another  hour.  We  are  now  in  Pacific  Coast 
time. 


CHAPTER  II 

PLENTY  OF  ROOM 

THERE  is  plenty  of  room  in  the  great  North- 
west. For  twenty-five  years  to  come  Horace 
Greeley's  advice  "  Go  west/'  will  hold  good. 
Charles  Dickens  once  said  that  the  typical 
American  would  hesitate  to  enter  heaven  unless 
assured  that  he  could  go  farther  west.  "  Go 
west."  Surely  these  are  words  to  conjure 
with.  "  Go  west,"  thrills  the  blood  of  youth 
and  stirs  the  blood  of  age. 

The  tide  of  immigration  is  turning  this  way. 
No  matter  what  your  trade  or  profession,  there 
is  room  for  you  here. 

Agriculture,  the  supporting  pillar  in  the  tem- 
ple of  wealth  of  any  nation,  stands  in  the 
front  rank  in  Washington  and  Idaho,  the  soil 
being  wonderfully  productive.  Stock  raising, 
dairying  and  fruit  farming  are  carried  on  wTith 
great  success.  But  the  great  mining  interest 
must  not  be  forgotten.  The  annual  rainfall 
varies  from  thirty-five  to  sixty  inches.  A 
34 


ENTERING  THE  CASCADE  RANGE. 


Plenty  of  Room  35 

healthful  climate  meets  one  in  almost  every  part 
of  these  great  states.  Malaria  is  practically  un- 
known. As  to  scenery  one  may  have  here  the 
sublime  grandeur  of  Switzerland,  the  pictur- 
esqueness  of  the  Rhine  and  the  rugged  beauty 
of  Norway. 

The  lava  beds  of  eastern  Washington  are 
wild  and  barren  as  to  rocks,  but  the  soil  is  very 
productive  when  irrigated.  The  lava  is 
burned  red  in  many  places.  Castle  after  castle 
with  drawbridge,  turrets  and  soldiers  on 
guard,  all  of  solid  rock,  greet  the  eye.  Column 
after  column  stand  hundreds  of  feet  high. 

The  Cascade  mountains  surpass  the  Rockies 
in  grandeur  and  ruggedness  of  scenery.  We, 
crossed  on  the  Switch  Back.  This  is  by 
"  tacking/'  as  a  sailor  would  say.  We  had 
three  engines,  mammoth  Moguls,  one  for- 
ward, the  other  two  in  the  rear.  There  are 
but  two  engines  in  the  world  larger  than 
these. 

To  explain  more  fully  we  went  back  and 
forth  three  times  on  the  side  of  the  mountain 
until  we  reached  the  summit,  then  down  on  the 
other  side  in  the  same  manner.  Going  up  we 
made  snowballs  with  one  hand  and  gathered 
flowers  with  the  other,  tiger  lilies,  perfect  ones 


36         A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

one  and  one-half  inch  from  tip  of  petal  to  petal 
on  tiny  stalks  five  inches  high.  Blackberry 
vines  run  on  the  ground  to  the  summit  of  the 
mountains.  They  creep  along  like  strawberry 
vines.  They  are  in  bloom  now  and  the  berries 
will  ripen  in  time. 

The  snowfall  last  winter  on  the  summit 
was  one  hundred  and  nine  feet.  Miles  of  snow- 
sheds  are  built  over  the  road  and  men  are  kept 
constantly  at  work  keeping  the  tracks  clear  of 
snow  and  bowlders.  Five  huge  snow-plows  are 
required,  all  working  constantly  to  keep  the 
sixty-six  highest  miles  clear.  The  fall  of  snow 
for  one  day  is  often  four  feet.  The  Great 
Northern  road  is  putting  a  tunnel  through  the 
mountains  now,  and  will  thus  do  away  with  the 
Switch  Back.  Eight  thousand  men  work  in  the 
shafts  night  and  day.  They  have  been  at  work 
two  years  and  expect  to  finish  in  1901. 

For  hours  we  traveled  above  the  clouds  and 
at  other  times  we  passed  through  them  and 
were  deluged  with  rain.  Magnificent  ferns 
grow  everywhere  on  the  mountain  sides  and 
towns  and  villages  are  to  be  seen  frequently. 

Descending  the  mountains  we  came  to  the 
Flat  Head  valley,  the  scenery  of  which  is  wild 
and  rugged  enough  to  suit  the  taste  of  the  most 


LAVA  BEDS  IN  WASHINGTON. 


Plenty  of  Room  37 

imaginative  Indian.  The  Flat  Head  river,  a 
wild,  raging,  roaring  torrent  which  sweeps 
everything  before  it  as  it  comes  leaping  down 
the  mountains,  flows  peacefully  enough  in  the 
valley.  Here  water  nymphs  bathe  in  purple 
pools,  yonder  fairies  and  fauns  dance  on  the 
green. 

On  the  trees  we  see  such  signs  as  "  Smoke 
Red  Cloud,"  "  Chew  Scalping  Knife,"  "  Drink 
Smoky  Mountain  Whisky,"  "  Chew  Indian 
Hatchet,"  "  Chew  Tomahawk,"  "  Drink  White 
Bear." 

Wenatchee  valley  is  famous  for  its  irrigated 
fruit  farms.  A  great  variety  of  fruits  is  grown. 
Water  is  easily  and  cheaply  obtained.  Mission 
District  is  another  fine  fruit  valley.  The  in- 
terest in  agriculture  is  growing.  Bees  do  well 
here.  If  you  do  not  own  all  the  land  you  want 
come  west  where  it  is  cheap,  good  and  plenty. 
The  country  is  rapidly  filling  up  with  settlers. 
We  passed  fine  wheat  lands  that  stretch  away 
across  the  country  to  Walla  Walla.  Men  are 
now  coming  in  to  the  wheat  harvest  just  as  in 
Illinois  they  come  to  cut  broomcorn.  But  they 
are  a  better  looking  class  of  men.  One  sees  no 
genuine  tramp.  There  is  no  room  for  him 
here,  there  is  too  much  work  and  he  sh'uns 


38         A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

such  districts  as  one  would  a  smallpox  infected 
region. 

SEATTLE. — The  first  white  men  to  explore 
this  coast  was  an  expedition  under  command 
of  Juan  de  Fuca,  a  Greek  pilot  in  the  service  of 
the  Viceroy  of  Mexico.  They  explored  the 
coast  as  far  north  as  Vancouver  island  in  1592. 
Two  hundred  years  later  Captain  George  Van- 
couver, of  the  British  navy,  made  extensive  ex- 
plorations along  this  same  coast.  The  first  over- 
land expedition  was  commanded  by  Lewis  and 
Clarke.  The  next  was  also  a  military  expedi- 
tion and  was  commanded  by  John  C.  Fre- 
mont. The  first  people  to  settle  in  the  country 
were  the  fur  traders.  The  first  mission  was 
established  by  Dr.  Marcus  Whitman  at  Walla 
Walla  in  1836.  It  was  Dr.  Whitman  who  rode 
to  Washington,  D.  C.,  leaving  here  in  Decem- 
ber, and  informed  the  government  of  the  con- 
spiracy of  England  to  drive  out  all  the  Ameri- 
can settlers  and  seize  the  country.  The  first 
town  was  Tumwater,  founded  in  1845  by  Mi- 
chael Simmons.  These  are  some  of  the  people 
who  helped  make  Washington. 

General  Sherman  said,  that  God  had  done 
more  for  Seattle  than  for  any  other  place  in  the 
world.  It  is  destined  to  be  the  Chicago  of  the 


TANGLE  OF  WILD  FERN  IN  A  WASHINGTON  FOREST. 


Plenty  of  Room  39 

West.  The  largest  saw-mills  in  the  world  are 
located  here.  The  population  is  about  eighty 
thousand  and  the  increase  is  rapid.  The  Uni- 
versity of  Washington,  supported  by  the  state, 
is  grandly  located  in  Seattle.  The  Federal 
government  has  a  fine  military  station  twelve 
miles  out  of  the  city. 

At  every  turn  Indian  names  meet  the  eye. 
We  steamed  down  the  bay  on  the  Skagit  Chief 
to  the  city  park,  where  we  lunched  at  the  Du- 
ramash  restaurant.  In  the  shop  windows  Uma- 
tilla  hats,  Black  Eagle  caps  and  Ancelline  ties 
are  offered  for  sale. 

Ancelline  was  an  Indian  princess,  daughter 
of  Seattle.  Seattle  was  chief  of  the  Old  Man 
House  Indians.  These  Indians  had  a  big  wig- 
wam in  which  the  entire  tribe  lived  during  the 
winter.  They  called  this  the  Old  Man  House 
and  the  tribe  took  its  name  from  this  house. 
There  is  but  one  family  of  these  Indians  left. 

The  Indians  on  this  side  of  the  mountains 
have  never  received  any  support  from  the  gov- 
ernment. They  are  much  more  industrious 
than  their  red  brothers  on  the  other  side.  There 
are  many  tribes  here  and  many  of  them  are 
quite  well  to  do  in  the  way  of  lands  and  money. 
All  talk  English  but  prefer  to  speak  Chinook. 


40         A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

Nokomis  was  an  old  Indian  woman  who  did 
laundry  work  for  a  family  in  Seattle  with 
whom  I  have  become  acquainted.  Nokomis 
was  exceedingly  stubborn.  She  would  permit 
no  one  to  tell  her  how  to  wash  for  had  she  not 
washed  in  the  creeks  and  rivers  all  her  life? 
This  old  woman  was  somewhat  deaf  and  when 
directions  were  being  given  her  she  could  not 
possibly  hear  and  continued  the  work  her  own 
way.  But  when  the  mistress  would  say,  "  Come 
Nokomis,  have  some  coppe  (Chinook  for  cof- 
fee) and  muck  amuck  (Chinook  for  'some- 
thing to  eat'),"  she  never  failed  to  hear, 
though  this  was  often  said  in  a  low  tone  of  voice 
to  test  Nokomis's  ears. 

Wheat  in  this  section  easily  goes  fifty  bushels 
per  acre.  The  root  crops,  potatoes,  turnips,on- 
ions,  carrots,  beets  and  parsnips  yield  enor- 
mously, with  prices  fair  to  good.  The 
fruits  are  fine  and  prices  good.  Strawber- 
ries sell  here  now  three  quarts  for  twenty-five 
cents.  The  fruits  go  to  Alaska,  Canada  and 
east  to  Montana  and  Minnesota.  Stock  and 
poultry  do  well  here  and  supply  eastern  markets 
at  good  prices.  Another  industrial  resource  in 
which  many  are  engaged  is  fishing.  The  cod, 
halibut,  oyster,  crab,  shrimp,  whale  and  fur 


MOUNT  RAINIER. 


Plenty  of  Room  41 

seal  yield  fine  profits.  Canned  fish  go  to  the 
Eastern  States,  to  Europe,  Asia  and  Australia. 
The  timber,  coal,  iron,  gold  and  silver  indus- 
tries are  well  represented. 

There  is  one  industry  that  is  not  represented 
here  at  all,  and  that  is  the  window-screen  indus- 
try. There  is  but  one  fly  in  Seattle;  at  any  rate 
I  have  seen  but  one.  Meat  markets  and  fruit 
markets  stand  open.  The  temperature  has  aver- 
aged sixty-two  in  the  shade  for  several  days. 
It  is  quite  hot  in  the  sun,  however. 

If  you  are  out  of  a  fortune  and  would  like  to 
make  one,  come  to  Washington. 

Mount  Ranier  is  the  highest  peak  of  the  Cas- 
cade Range  and  the  most  beautiful.  Though 
standing  on  American  soil  it  bears  an  English 
name,  that  of  Rear  Admiral  Ranier  of  the  Eng- 
lish navy.  The  local  name  was  for  years  Ta- 
coma,  but  in  1890  the  United  States  board  of 
geographic  survey  decided  that  Ranier  must 
stand  on  all  government  maps. 

The  people  of  Washington  speak  lovingly  of 
this  splendid  peak  which  was  smoking  so 
grandly  when  the  Pathfinder  found  his  way 
into  this  country  fifty  years  ago. 

From  its  summit  eight  glaciers  radiate  like 
the  spokes  of  a  wheel  down  from  which  flow 


42         A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

as  many  rivers.  Its  ice  caverns  formed  by 
sulpher  vent  holes  in  the  crater,  its  steam  jets, 
its  moss  draped  pines,  its  dainty  vines  and 
hemlocks,  its  grassy  vales,  where  wild  flowers 
are  swayed  by  the  breath  of  the  glaciers,  its 
beautiful  lilies,  remind  one  of  "  Aladdin's " 
journey  through  the  wonderful  cave  in  search 
of  the  magic  lamp. 

Here  blows  the  heather  and  the  shamrock. 

ik  With  a  four-leafed  clover,   a   double-leafed   ash,   and 

a  greentopped  seave, 
You  may  go  before  the  queen's  daughter  without  asking 

leave." 

There  stands  fair  Daphne,  changed  to  a  laurel 
tree. 

In  the  legends  of  the  Silash  Indians  Mount 
Ranier  has  always  been  held  as  a  place  of  super- 
stitious regard.  It  was  the  refuge  of  the  last 
man  when  the  waters  of  Puget  Sound  swept  in- 
land, drowning  every  living  thing  except  one 
man.  Chased  by  the  waves,  he  reached  the 
summit,  where  he  was  standing  waist  deep  in 
the  water  when  the  Tamanous,  the  god  of  the 
mountain,  commanded  the  waters  to  recede. 
Slowly  they  receded,  but  the  man  had  turned 
to  stone.  The  Tamanous  broke  loose  one  of  his 
ribs  and  changing  it  to  a  woman,  stood  it  by 


Plenty  of  Room  43 

his  side,  then  waving  his  magic  wand  over  the 
two,  bade  them  to  awake.  Joyfully  this  strange 
Adam  and  Eve  passed  down  the  mountain  side, 
where  they  made  their  home  on  the  forested 
slopes.  These  were  the  first  parents  of  the 
Silash  Indians. 

In  the  very  center  of  the  Cascade  range 
stands  another  mountain  of  equal  beauty, 
Mount  St.  Helens. 

Washington  is  the  home  of  the  genuine  sea 
serpent.  He  makes  his  headquarters  in  Rock 
Lake,  where  he  disports  himself  in  the  water, 
devouring  every  living  thing  that  ventures  into 
it  or  dares  to  come  on  the  shore.  Only  a  few 
years  ago  he  swallowed  an  entire  band  of  In- 
dians. 

Expansion  seems  to  be  the  law  of  our  na- 
tional and  commercial  life.  Beyond  the  placid 
Pacific  are  six  hundred  million  people  who 
want  the  things  we  produce.  China  and 
Japan  furnish  a  market  for  our  wheat. 
The  cry  now  is  for  more  ships  to  carry 
our  produce  to  Asia,  Australia,  to  islands 
of  the  Pacific  and  to  Alaska,  not  to 
speak  of  the  Philippines.  Manila  is  the 
center  of  the  great  Asiatic  ports,  including  those 
of  British  India  and  Australia.  Our  trade  with 


44         A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

the  Orient  is  growing-  and  Manila  will  make 
a  fine  distributing  depot.  These  eastern  coun- 
tries use  annually  over  eighty-six  million 
dollars'  worth  of  cotton  goods  and  nearly  forty 
million  dollars'  worth  of  iron  and  steel 
manufactures.  This  we  can  produce  in  this 
country  as  cheap  if  not  cheaper  than  in  any 
other  country.  Seattle  is  the  best  point  from 
which  to  export,  as  the  route  is  shorter  than 
from  San  Francisco. 

The  battleship  Iowa  is  in  dry  dock  here.  I 
should  liked  to  have  been  a  marine  myself  and 
have  stood  behind  one  of  those  big  guns  when 
Cervera  left  the  harbor  of  Santiago.  And  now 
I'd  like  to  train  that  same  gun  on  the  anti-ex- 
pansionist and  send  him  to  the  bottom  of  the 
sea,  there  to  sleep  with  the  Spaniards  and  other 
useless  things.  Officers  and  marines  alike  are 
proud  of  their  ship  and  delighted  to  explain  the 
mechanism  of  the  guns. 

We  took  a  steamer  over  to  Tacoma  one 
morning,  where  we  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing 
the  North  Pacific  steamship  Glenogle,  which 
had  just  arrived  from  Japan,  unload  her  cargo. 
She  brought  two  thousand  tons  of  tea,  over 
two  thousand  pounds  of  rice,  two  thousand  and 
twelve  bails  of  matting,  two  hundred  and 


STREET  IN  TACOMA,  WASHINGTON. 


Plenty  of  Room  45 

eighty-six  bails  of  straw  braid,  one  hundred 
and  thirty-nine  cases  of  porcelain,  two  hundred 
and  eighty-five  packages  of  curios,  three  thou- 
sand packages  of  bamboo  ware,  silk  goods  and 
a  multitude  of  small  articles  made  the  load. 
She  had  forty  Japanese  passengers  for  this  port, 
and  left  forty-five  at  Victoria. 

The  air  was  fragrant  with  the  odor  of  roses 
and  beautiful  pinks. 

On  the  street  we  met  a  party  of  Indians  in 
civilian  dress,  wearing  closely  cropped  hair 
and  moustaches. 

Tacoma  pays  ninety  dollars  per  ton  for  cop- 
per ore  from  Alaska. 

Returning  across  the  bay  we  met  a  flock  of 
crows  on  the  flotsam  and  jetsam  which 
floats  down  from  the  saw-mills.  Their  antics 
reminded  me  of  a  party  of  school  boys  playing 
tag.  At  the  steamer's  approach  the  leader  gave 
a  warning  caw  and  they  were  up  and  away  be- 
fore the  steamer  struck  their  floating  play- 
ground and  scattered  it  to  the  waves. 

At  sunset  the  reflection  of  the  sun-lit  clouds 
on  the  waves  and  the  fire  and  glow  of  the  spark- 
ling water,  now  ruby  red,  changing  to  turquoise 
blues  and  emerald  greens,  make  a  scene  delight- 
ful to  the  eye  of  one  who  loves  the  sea. 


CHAPTER  III 

OFF  FOR  ALASKA 

"  ALL  aboard !  "  At  ten  o'clock  we  steamed 
out  of  the  harbor  of  Seattle  and  headed  toward 
Alaska,  the  land  of  icebergs,  glaciers  and  gold 
fields.  Seattle  sat  as  serenely  on  her  terraced 
slopes  as  Rome  on  her  seven  hills.  The  sun 
shone  bright  and  clear  on  the  snow-capped  peaks 
of  the  Cascades.  Mt.  Tacoma  stood  out  bold 
and  clear  against  the  sun-lit  sky. 

We  steamed  at  full  speed  down  Admiralty 
Inlet. 

At  noon  we  stop  at  Port  Townsend,  the  port 
of  entry  for  Puget  sound.  One  sees  at  all  these 
coast  towns  many  Japanese,  some  dressed  in 
nobby  bicycle  costumes,  leading  their  wheels 
about  the  wharves,  others  wearing  neat  busi- 
ness suits  and  sporting  canes.  The  less  for- 
tunate almond-eyed  people  are  here  too,  dressed 
in  the  garb  of  the  laborer,  but  it  is  to  the 
former,  the  padrone,  that  the  American  em- 
ployer goes  for  contract  labor. 
46 


Off  for  Alaska  47 

In  any  qase  the  laborer  pays  his  padrone  a 
per  cent,  of  his  wages. 

It  holds  true  the  world  over  that  "  some  must 
follow  and  some  command,  though  all  are  made 
of  clay/'  as  Longfellow  puts  it. 

We  are  soon  out  on  the  ocean,  where  it  is  all 
sea  and  flood  and  long  Pacific  swell. 

All  up  and  down  the  picturesque  shores  of 
Puget  Sound  live  the  Silash  Indians,  who  to-day 
dress  in  American  costumes  and  follow  Ameri- 
can pursuits.  One  sees  them  on  the  streets  of 
the  cities  and  towns.  The  Silash,  like  the 
ancient  Greeks,  peopled  the  unseen  world  with 
spirits.  Good  and  evil  genii  lived  in  the  forest ; 
every  spring  had  its  Nereid  and  every  tree  its 
dryad.  They  believed  the  Milky  Way  to  be 
the  path  to  heaven;  so  believed  the  ancient 
Greeks. 

One  beautiful  day  there  gleamed  and  danced 
in  the  sunshine  a  copper  canoe  of  wonderful 
design.  Down  the  sound  it  came.  When  the 
stranger  whom  it  carried  had  landed  he  an- 
nounced that  he  had  a  message  for  the  red  man, 
and  sending  for  every  Silash,  he  taught  them 
the  law  of  love.  The  Indian  mind  is  slow  to  ad- 
just itself  to  new  thought.  Such  ideas  were  new 
and  strange  to  these  children  of  nature.  When 


48         A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

this  beautiful  stranger  about  whose  head  the 
sun  was  always  shining,  told  them  of  the  new, 
the  eternal  life  in  the  world  beyond,  they  list- 
ened with  deep  interest,  but  the  savage  was 
stronger  than  the  man  in  the  red  skins  and  they 
dragged*  the  stranger  to  a  tree,  where  they 
nailed  him  fast  with  pegs  in  his  hands  and  feet, 
torturing  him  as  they  did  their  victims  of  the 
devil  dance. 

Then  they  danced  around  him  until  the 
strange  light  faded  from  his  beautiful  eyes. 
Slowly  the  radiant  head  dropped  and  life  itself 
went  out.  A  great  storm  arose  that  shook  the 
earth  to  its  very  center.  Great  rocks  came  tear- 
ing down  the  mountain  side.  The  sun  hid  his 
face  for  three  days. 

They  took  the  body  down  and  laid  it  away. 
On  the  third  day,  when  the  sun  burst  forth, 
the  dead  man  arose  and  resumed  his  teaching. 
The  Indians  now  declared  him  a  god  and  be- 
lieved in  him. 

Year  by  year  the  Silash  grew  more  gentle 
and  less  warlike,  until  of  all  Indians  they  be- 
came the  most  peaceful.  My  readers  will  read- 
ily see  that  this  is  a  confused  tale  of  the  Christ. 

Another  fantastic  tale  of  this  region  is  that 
of  an  Indian  miser  who  dried  salmon  and  jerked 


Off  for  Alaska  49 

meat,  which  he  sold  for  haiqua, — tusk-shells, — 
the  wampum  .of  the  Silash  Indians.  Like  all 
misers,  the  more  haiqua  he  got  the  more  he 
wanted. 

One  cold  winter  day  he  went  hunting  on  the 
slopes  of  Mount  Ranier.  .  Every  mountain  has 
its  Tamanous,  to  which  travelers  and  hunters 
must  pay  homage.  Now  the  miser,  instead  of 
paying  devotion  to  the  god  of  the  mountain, 
only  looked  at  the  snow  and  sighed,  "  Ah,  if  it 
were  only  haiqua." 

Up,  up  he  went,  and  soon  reached  the  rim 
of  the  volcano's  crater,  and  hurrying  down 
the  inside  of  the  crater  he  came  to  a 
rock  in  the  form  of  a  deer's  head.  With 
desperate  energy  he  flung  snow  and  gravel 
about.  Presently  he  came  to  a  smooth,  flat 
rock ;  summoning  all  his  strength,  he  lifted  the 
rock.  Beyond  was  a  wonderful  cave  where 
were  stored  great  quantities  of  the  most  beauti- 
ful haiqua  his  eyes  had  ever  beheld. 

Winding  string  after  string  about  his  body, 
until  he  had  all  the  haiqua  he  could  carry,  he 
climbed  out  of  the  crater  and  started 
down  the  mountain  side.  But  the  Taman- 
ous was  angry.  Wrapping  himself  in  a  storm 
cloud,  he  pursued  the  miser,  who  buffeted 


50         A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

by  the  wind  and  blinded  by  the  snow  and  dark- 
ness, stumbled  on,  grasping  his  treasure.  The 
unseen  hands  of  the  god  clutched  him  and  tore 
strand  after  strand  from  his  neck. 

The  storm  lulled  a  moment,  but  returned  with 
renewed  energy;  the  thunder  and  lightning 
increased;  again  the  unseen  hands  held  him  in 
a  vice-like  grasp.  Strand  after  strand  the 
angry  god  tore  from  the  miser's  grasp,  until  by 
the  time  he  arrived  at  the  timber  line  but  one 
strand  remained ;  this  he  flung  aside  and  hur- 
ried on  down  the  mountain.  Not  one  shell  re- 
mained to  reward  him  for  his  perilous  journey. 
Weary  and  foot-sore  he  fell  fainting  in  the 
darkness.  When  he  awoke  his  hair  was 
white  as  the  snow  on  the  mountain's 
brow.  He  looked  back  at  the  snow-crowned 
peak  with  never  a  wish  for  the  treasures 
of  the  Tamanous.  When  he  arrived  at  his 
home  an  aged  woman  was  there  cooking  fish. 
In  her  he  recognized  his  wife,  who  had  mourned 
him  as  dead  for  many  long  years.  He  dried 
salmon  and  jerked  meat,  which  he  sold  for 
haiqua,  but  never  again  did  he  brave  the  Ta- 
manous of  Mount  Ranier.  Thus  ends  the 
weird  tale  of  Puget  Sound. 

Clearing  this  port,  our  course  lay  across  the 


PARLIAMENT  HOUSE,  VICTORIA. 


Off  for  Alaska  5 1 

straits  of  Juan  de  Fuca,  named  for  the 
Greek  explorer  before  mentioned.  The  green 
slopes  of  the  beautiful  San  Juan  islands  now 
came  into  view. 

We  landed  at  Victoria,  the  capital  of  the 
province  of  British  Columbia,  at  eight  o'clock 
in  the  morning.  The  city  was  still  wrapt  in 
slumber.  A  cow  placidly  munching  grass  in 
the  street,  looked  at  us  inquiringly.  We  met  a 
dejected  looking  dog  and  presently  a  laborer 
going  to  his  work. 

A  handsome  hotel  occupies  a  commanding 
site,  but  the  doors  were  closed.  Not  a  store 
was  open.  The  government  buildings,  naval 
station  and  museum  are  the  only  places  of  in- 
terest. 

The  Island  of  Vancouver  is  composed  of 
rock  and  sand.  All  along  the  shore  are  magnifi- 
cent sea  weeds,  ferns  and  club  mosses,  growing 
fast  to  the  rocky  side  and  the  bottom  of  the  sea. 
Many  of  these  plants  break  loose  and  go  float- 
ing about. 

Imagine  a  perfectly  smooth,  flexible  parsnip, 
from  twenty  to  fifty  feet  long,  with  leaves  of  the 
same  length  like  those  of  the  horse  radish  in 
form,  but  the  color  of  sapless,  water-soaked 
grasses,  and  you  have  a  kelp.  Coming  toward 


52          A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

you  head  on,  the  long  leaves  floating  back  under 
it,  you  have  a  miniature  man-of-war. 

The  fortifications  for  the  protection  of  the 
harbor  are  submerged.  You  would  never  sus- 
pect that  below  that  innocent  looking  daisy 
covered  surface  great  guns  .were  ready  at  a 
moment's  notice  to  blow  you  and  your  good 
ship  to  atoms  should  her  actions  proclaim  her 
an  enemy. 

Farther  up  the  coast  Exquimalt,  the  most 
formidable  fortress  on  the  American  Continent, 
occupies  a  commanding  site. 

We  were  glad  to  retrace  our  steps  to  the 
steamer  and  shake  from  off  our  feet  the  dust  of 
that  sleepy  old  town,  which  never  felt  a  quiver 
when  "  Freedom  from  her  mountain  height  un- 
furled her  standard  to  the  air,"  and  shake  off 
too  that  strange  feeling  which  possesses  one 
when  treacling  a  foreign  shore. 

All  day  long  Mount  Baker  of  the  Cascade 
range  has  stood  like  an  old  sentinel,  white  and 
hoary,  to  point  us  on  our  way. 

Fair  Haven  and  New  Whatcomb,  the  termi- 
nus of  the  Great  Northern  railway  for  pas- 
senger traffic,  are  delightfully  located  on  the 
coast.  These  towns  are  growing  rapidly.  The 
population  is  now  twelve  hundred.  The  largest 


GORGE  OF  HOMATHCO. 


Off  for  Alaska 


53 


shingle  mill  in  the  world  is  located  here.  It 
turns  out  half  a  million  shingles  every  ten 
hours.  The  saw-mill  turns  out  lumber  enough 
every  day  to  build  five  ten-room  houses,  while 
a  tin  can  factory  turns  out  a  half  million  cans 
a  day. 

In  time  Fair  Haven  and  New  Whatcomb  will 
be  two  of  the  most  beautiful  towns  in  Washing- 
ton. The  streets  are  broad.  Green  lawns  sur- 
round handsome  homes  and  pretty  cottages. 

At  noon  we  passed  the  forty-ninth  parallel, 
the  boundary  line  between  the  United  States 
and  the  British  possessions.  What  a  vast  ex- 
panse of  territory  had  been  ours  had  we  adhered 
to  our  determination  to  maintain  the  fifty- 
fourth  parallel.  "  Fifty-four,  forty  or  fight/' 
we  said,  but  gave  it  up  without  a  blow. 

Forty  miles  across  from  Vancouver  lies  the 
busy  collier  town  of  Nanaimo.  The  Indians 
discovered  the  coal  fifty  years  ago.  On  the 
knoll  near  the  coal  wharves,  there  is^a  beauti- 
ful grove  of  madronas.  In  the  surrounding 
forest  gigantic  ferns  and  strange  wild  flowers 
grow  in  great  profusion.  Berries  are  plentiful 
and  game  abundant. 

At  Cape  Mudge  we  bid  farewell  to  the  Silash 
tribes.  Cape  Mudge  potlatches  are  famous  for 


54          A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

their  extravagance.  In  1888  a  neighboring 
tribe  was  worth  nearly  five  hundred  thousand 
dollars.  The  British  Columbia  legislature  pro- 
hibited potlatches  and  in  one  year  their  wealth 
decreased  four-fifths.  The  prohibition  of  pot- 
latches  quenched  their  desire  to  accumulate 
property. 

The  wild  gorge  of  Homathco  is  the  result  of 
the  relentless  glaciers. 

In  Jervis  Inlet  is  a  great  tidal  rapid,  the  roar 
of  which  can  be  heard  for  miles.  It  is  consid- 
ered the  equal  of  the  famous  Malstrom  and 
Salstrom  of  Norway. 

At  Point  Robert  we  pass  the  last  light  house 
on  the  American  coast.  The  stars  and  stripes 
floated  from  the  flag  staff.  With  a  dash  and  a 
roar  the  white  crested  waves  tumbled  on  the 
beach.  With  a  last  farewell  to  Old  Glory,  we 
steam  ahead  and  for  six  hundred  miles  plow  the 
British  main. 

The  scenery  becomes  more  wild,  savage, 
grand  and  awful.  Snow-clad  mountains  guard 
the  waterway  on  either  side.  Such  Oh's  and 
Ah's  when  some  scene  of  more  than  usual 
grandeur  bursts  upon  our  view.  A  canoe  shoots 
out  from  yonder  overhanging  ledge.  The 


v\\\ 


LIGHT  HOUSE,  POINT  ROBERT. 


Off  for  Alaska  55 

glasses  reveal  the  occupants  to  be  four  Indians 
out  on  a  fishing  expedition. 

Nearly  every  one  of  our  three  hundred  pas- 
sengers was  interested  in  the  first  whale  sighted. 
"O  yonder  he  goes,  a  whale;"  "  O,  see  him 
spout;  "  "Now  look,  look!"  "Ah,  down  he 
goes."  Then  everyone  questions  everyone  else. 
"  Did  you  see  the  whale?  "  "  Did  you  see  our 
whale?  "  "  O,we  had  whales  on  our  side  of  the 
boat,"  and  adds  some  one,  "  They  were  per- 
forming whales,  too."  Then  the  gong  sounds 
for  dinner  and  the  whale  is  forgotten  in  the  dis- 
cussion of  the  menu. 

Many  of  our  passengers  are  bound  for  Daw- 
son  City,  Juneau  and  other  Alaskan  points. 
One  hears  much  discussion  of  the  dollar,  not 
the  common  American  dollar,  but  the  Alaskan 
dollar,  which  seems  to  be  more  precious  as  it  is 
more  difficult  to  obtain. 

Here  are  young  men  bound  for  the  frozen 
field  of  gold  who  could  carry  a  message  to 
Garcia  and  never  once  ask,  "  Where  is  he 
'  at?  '  "  "  Who  is  he?  "  or  "  Why  do  you  want 
to  send  the  message,  anyway?"  Young  men 
with  backbone,  muscle  and  brains,  who  would 
succeed  in  almost  any  field. 


56          A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

From  Queen  Charlotte's  sound  to  Cape  Cal- 
vert  we  were  out  on  the  Pacific.  Old  Neptune 
tossed  us  about  pretty  much  as  he  liked,  al- 
though Captain  Wallace,  who,  by  the  way,  is  a 
genial  gentleman  and  a  charming  host,  assured 
us  that  we  had  a  smooth  passage  across  this  arm 
of  the  old  ocean.  Many  suffered  from  mal  de 
mer. 

Wrapped  in  furs  and  rugs,  we  sit  on  deck, 
enjoying  the  panorama  of  sea  and  sky.  Sun-lit 
mountains,  white  with  the  snows  of  a  thousand 
years  and  green-clad  foot  hills  covered  with 
pines  as  thick  as  the  weeds  on  a  common.  Here 
and  there  in  a  wild,  dreary  nook  the  glasses  re- 
vealed an  Indian  trapper's  cabin.  Here  he  lives 
and  hunts  and  fishes.  When  he  has  a  sufficient 
number  of  skins  he  loads  his  canoe  and  skims 
across  the  water,  it  may  be  eighty  or  a  hun- 
dred miles,  to  a  town,  where  he  trades  his  furs 
and  fish  for  sugar,  coffee,  tea,  and  the  many 
things  which  he  has  learned  to  eat  from  his 
white  brother.  He  is  very  fond  of  tea  and  rum. 
He  does  not  bury  his  dead,  but  wraps  them  in 
their  blankets  and  lays  them  on  the  top  of  the 
ground,  that  they  may  the  more  easily  find 
their  way  to  the  Happy  Hunting  Ground. 
Then  he  builds  a  tight  board  fence  five 


FJORDS  OF  ALASKA. 


Off  for  Alaska  57 

or  six  feet  high  about  the  lonely  grave 
and  covers  it  tightly  over  the  top  to 
keep  out  the  wild  animals  which  roam 
the  mountain  sides.  A  tall  staff  rises  from  the 
grave  and  a  white  cloth  floats  from  its  pinnacle. 
We  sighted  one  of  these  lonely  graves  on  the 
top  of  a  small  island  on  our  second  day  out,  and 
were  reminded  of  that  other  lonely  grave  in  the 
vale  of  the  Land  of  Moab. 

Bella  Bella  is  an  Indian  town  located  on 
Hunter  island.  The  houses  are  all  two-story 
and  nicely  painted.  There  is  nothing  in  the 
aspect  of  the  town  to  indicate  that  it  is  other 
than  a  white  man's  town,  though  the  Indians 
who  reside  here  were  once  the  most  savage  on 
the  coast.  On  a  smaller  island  near  by  is  a  ceme- 
tery. Small,  one-roomed  houses  are  the  vaults 
in  which  the  bodies  are  placed  after  being  wrap- 
ped in  blankets.  Here  we  saw  the  first  grave 
stones.  They  stand  in  front  of  these  vaults 
and  are  higher.  On  them  are  carved  the  owner's 
name  and  his  exploits  in  hunting  or  war  in 
picture  language. 

The  Silash  Indians  are  very  gentle  and  kind. 
If  you  are  hungry  they  will  divide  their  last 
crust  with  you.  If  you  are  cold  they  will  give 
you  their  last  blanket.  They  wear  civilized 


58         A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

dress,  fish  and  hunt  and  are  quite  prosperous. 
Many  hops  are  grown  in  the  State  of  Washing- 
ton and  in  the  fall  these  Indians  go  down  in 
their  canoes  to  pick  hops.  They  are  preferred 
to  white  pickers,  because  of  their  industry  and 
honesty. 

Saturday  night  we  crossed  "  Fifty-four  forty 
or  fight  "  and  Sunday  morning  found  us  in 
Alaska. 


FISHING  HAMLET  OF  KETCHIKAN. 


OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 

OF 


CHAPTER  IV 

FIRST  VIEWS 

WE  visited  the  Indian  village  of  Kitchikan. 
The  Episcopalians  have  a  mission  at  this  place. 
The  teacher  is  an  able  young  woman.  A  young 
lady,  a  handsome  half-breed  Indian  girl,  came 
upon  the  wharf  to  meet  someone  who  came  on 
the  boat.  Her  carriage,  language  and  manner 
were  those  of  a  lady.  We  landed  some  freight 
at  this  point.  The  freight  agent  was  a  half- 
breed  Indian,  quite  good  looking  and  a  gentle- 
man. 

New  Metlakahtla  is  a  most  attractive  village 
on  the  Annette  Islands. 

The  Metlakahtlans  are  the  most  progressive 
race  in  Alaska.  Mr.  Duncan  visited  the  United 
States  in  1887,  enlisting  aid  for  the  Indians. 
Henry  Ward  Beecher  and  Phillips  Brooks  be- 
came champions  of  his  cause. 

The  government  at  Washington  assured  Mr. 
Duncan  that  his  people  would  be  protected  in 
any  lands  which  they  might  select  in  Alaska. 

59 


60         A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

In  the  spring  of  1887  four  hundred  Metla- 
kahtlans  crossed  to  the  Annette  Islands. 

These  enterprising  people  print  their  own 
newspaper.  They  have  a  photographer.  The 
silversmiths,  woodcarvers  and  bark  weavers  do 
a  large  business  on  tourist  days. 

The  salmon  cannery  ships  from  six  to  eight 
thousand  cases  a  year.  There  is  a  government 
school  and  a  boarding  school  for  girls.  On 
steamer  days  the  Indian  band  plays  on  a  plat- 
form built  on  the  tall  stump  of  a  cedar. 

These  people,  all  Christians,  have  all  sub- 
scribed and  faithfully  live  up  to  a  code  of  rules, 
called  the  Declaration  of  Residents. 

The  inhabitants  are  greatly  disturbed  over 
the  discovery  of  gold  on  these  islands.  The 
white  man  discovered  the  gold  and  now  he 
wants  the  islands.  '  Will  the  government  keep 
faith  with  the  Metlakahtlans  ? 

Now  let  me  tell  the  boys  and  girls  what  our 
vessel  has  down  in  her  hold.  Our  boat,  The 
Queen,  is  three  hundred  and  fifty  feet  long  and 
draws  twenty-five  feet  of  water,  so  you  see  she 
has  a  big  hold  down  below  her  decks.  There 
are  twenty  big  steers  going  to  Juneau  to  be 
made  into  beef;  two  big  gray  horses  go- 
ing to  Dawson  to  work  about  the  mines 


First  Views  61 

in  the  Klondike  and  when  winter  comes  to  be 
killed  and  dried  for  meat  for  dogs,  as  there  will 
be  no  feed  for  the  horses  in  the  Klondike  when 
winter  sets  in  and  the  grass  dies.  A  sad  fate. 
They  are  gentle  horses,  poking  their  noses  into 
your  hand  as  you  pass  for  an  apple,  peach  or  bit 
of  grain.  There  are  five  hundred  chickens  down 
there,  too,  going  to  different  points  in  Alaska. 
Two  little  Esquimaux  pups,  worth  one  hundred 
dollars  each,  are  also  here.  Their  mother, 
which  was  killed  by  the  electric  cars  at  Seattle 
the  day  before  we  sailed,  cost  four  hundred 
dollars.  The  little  curly-haired  fellows  play 
and  tumble  about  very  much  like  kittens,  then 
suddenly  they  remember  their  mother  and  set 
up  such  a  pitiful  wail. 

There  is  also  a  big,  black  Husky  aboard.  He 
is  a  cross  between  an  Indian  (not  an  Esqui- 
maux) dog  and  a  wolf.  He  is  a  big,  heavy 
fellow,  large  of  head,  strong  of  limb  and  feet 
widened  in  muscular  development  wrought  in 
his  race  by  generations  of  hard  service  in  this 
rugged  climate.  He  is  valued  at  three  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars.  He  will  pull  three  hundred 
pounds  and  travel  forty  miles  a  day  over  ice 
and  snow,  being  fed  but  once  a  day  on  dried 
fish. 


62         A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

The  most  curious  and  by  far  the  handsomest 
dog  aboard  is  a  Malamute.  He  is  a  beautiful 
dog.  His  furry  coat  is  heavy  and  his  fine  ears 
stand  erect.  For  actions,  manners  and  affection 
for  his  master  he  is  a  fine  specimen  of  the  canine 
tribe.  His  walk  is  somewhat  of  a  stride  like 
that  of  the  bear. 

His  owner,  who  lives  in  Chicago,  is  aboard. 
He  paid  three  hundred  dollars  for  the  dog  and 
took  him  home,  but  it  is  too  warm  for  him  in 
Chicago,  so  he  is  taking  him  back  to  Alaska. 

There  are  many  cases  of  oranges,  lemons, 
peaches,  apples,  apricots  and  plums  and  tons  of 
groceries  of  all  sorts  for  Skagway,  Dawson, 
Junea,  Sitka  and  other  Alaskan  points.  Also 
many  pounds  of  dressed  beef,  mutton,  flour, 
cornmeal,  oatmeal  and  canned  goods.  There 
are  one  thousand  cases  of  oil,  lots  of  dry  goods 
and  many  miners'  outfits.  So  you  see  there  is 
quite  a-  traffic  up  and  clown  this  coast. 

As  we  steam  steadily  on  toward  the  home  of 
Hoder,  the  stormy  old  god  of  winter,  the  air 
grows  colder,  the  scenery  more  wild  and 
strange.  Snowclad  mountains,  sun-lit  clouds 
resting  on  their  peaks  and  veiling  their  sides, 
blue  sky  and  sparkling  water  make  a  scene 
which  may  be  imagined  but  not  described. 


g 


First  Views  63 

Alaska  is  the  aboriginal  name  and  means 
"  great  country/'  It  was  at  the  request  of 
Charles  Sumner  that  the  original  name  was  re- 
tained. Seven  million  two  hundred  thousand 
dollars  for  a  field  of  stony  mountain,  icebergs 
and  glaciers !  Had  Seward  gone  mad  ?  Ah,  no. 
He  builded  wiser  than  he  knew.  Alaska  is 
nine  times  the  size  of  the  New  England  States 
and  cost  less  than  one-half  cent  per  acre. 

The  northwest  coast  of  Alaska  was  discov- 
ered and  explored  by  a  Russian  expedition  un- 
der Behring,  in  1741.  Russian  settlements 
were  made  and  the  fur  trade  developed. 

The  climate  is  no  colder  than  at  St.  Peters- 
burg and  many  other  parts  of  Russia.  The 
warm  Japan  current  sweeps  the  coast  and  tem- 
pers the  climate.  Sitka  is  only  three  miles  north 
of  Balmoral,  Scotland.  The  isothermal  line 
running  through  Sitka  runs  through  Rich- 
mond, Va.,  giving  both  points  the  same  temper- 
ature. The  average  summer  temperature  is 
fifty-two  degrees  and  the  average  winter 
weather  thirty-one  degrees  above  zero. 

The  average  rainfall  at  this  point  is  eighty- 
two  inches.  Native  grasses  and  berries  grow 
plentifully  in  the  valleys.  The  chief  wealth  of 
the  country  lies  in  its  forests,  fish,  fur-bearing 


64          A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

animals  and  mines.  The  forest  consists  of  yel- 
low pine,  spruce,  larch,  fir  of  great  size,  cypress 
and  hemlock.  The  wild  animals  include  the  elk, 
deer  and  bear.  The  fur-bearing-  animals  are  the 
fox,  wolf,  beaver,  ermine,  otter  and  squirrel. 
Fur-bearing  seals  inhabit  the  waters  along  the 
coast.  Salmon  abound  in  the  rivers. 

It  is  one  of  the  secrets  of  the  rebellion  that 
the  large  sum  paid  to  Russia  for  Alaska  was  to 
compensate  her  for  the  presence  of  her  war- 
ships in  our  harbor  during  the  early  days  of  the 
Civil  War,  thus  helping  to  prevent  English  in- 
terference. 

Fort  Wrangel  is  delightfully  located  on  the 
green  slopes  of  the  mountains.  It  was  once  a 
Russian  military  post  and  takes  its  name  from 
the  Russian  governor  of  Alaska,  Baron 
Wrangel. 

Here  are  some  fine  totem  poles.  Totemism 
is  a  species  of  heraldry.  Their  whales,  frogs, 
crows,  and  wolves  are  no  more  difficult  to  un- 
derstand than  the  dragons,  griffins,  and  fleur- 
de-lis  of  European  heraldry.  The  totem  pole 
of  the  Alaskan  Indian  is  his  crest,  his  monu- 
ment. The  totem  is  his  clan  name,  his  god. 
He  is  a  crow,ji  raven,  an  eagle,  a  bear,  a  whale, 
or  a  wolf.  It  is  the  old  story  of  Beauty  and  the 


First  Views  65 

Beast.  The  beautiful  raven  maiden  may  live 
happily  with  her  bear  husband. 

Every  Indian  claims  kinship  with  three 
totems.  The  clan  totem  is  the  animal  from 
which  the  clan  descended.  There  is  a  totem 
common  to  all  the  women  of  the  clan.  The 
men  of  the  clan  have  a  totem  and  each  indi- 
vidual when  he  or  she  arrives  at  manhood  or 
womanhood  chooses  a  totem  sacred  to  him  or 
herself.  This  totem  is  his  guardian  angel  and 
protects  him  from  danger  and  harm.  The 
Alaskan  Indian  believes  the  eagle  to  be  the 
American  man's  totem  and  the  lion  and  the 
unicorn  the  two  totems  of  the  Englishman. 

The  civilized  races  of  antiquity  all  passed 
through  the  totem  period.  Our  Indians  all  had 
their  totems  as  their  names  indicate,  Blackfeet, 
Crow  and  Sioux.  Totems  are  common  to  all 
savage  races,  but  the  Alaskan  Indian  is  the  only 
North  American  who  erects  a  monument  to  his 
totem. 

While  the  totem  protects  the  Indian  the  In- 
dian is  in  duty  bound  to  protect  his  totem.  He 
may  neither  kill  nor  eat  his  own  totem,  but  he 
may  with  impunity  kill  the  god  of  another.  If 
you  kill  his  totem  he  will  be  grieved  and  sor- 
rowfully ask,  "Why  you  kill  him,  my  brother ?" 


66          A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

These  people  were  evolutionists  long  before 
Darwin.  There  are  no  monkeys,  however, 
among  the  totems  of  the  Alaskan  Indians. 

When  an  Indian  marries  he  takes  his  wife's 
name,  the  name  of  her  clan  totem.  The  children, 
too,  belong  to  the  mother's  totem,  and,  of 
course,  take  her  name.  The  wife  is  the  head 
of  the  family,  managing  it  and  transacting  all 
the  business. 

These  Indians  and  all  the  Indians  of 
southern  Alaska  are  Tlingits.  Tlingit  means 
people.  There  are  many  traditions  among 
them  of  a  supernatural  origin ;  one  to  the  effect 
that  the  crow  in  whom  dwelt  the  Great  Spirit 
lived  on  the  Nass  River,  where  he  turned  two 
blades  of  grass  into  a  man  and  a  woman.  This 
was  the  first  pair  from  whom  sprang  all 
Tlingits.  They  have  tales  of  a  migration  from 
the  southeast,  the  Mars  River  country.  Their 
propitiation  of  evil  spirits,  their  shamanism  and 
their  belief  in  the  transmigration  of  souls,  all 
point  to  Asiatic  origin,  yet  there  is  no  tradition 
among  them  of  any  such  origin.  Once,  many 
thousands  of  snows  ago,  a  Tlingit  stole  the  sun 
and  hid  it,  then  nearly  all  the  people  died,  but 
the  crow  found  it  and  placed  it  in  the  sky  again. 
After  this  the  tribe  increased. 


CHIEF  SHAKE'S  HOUSE,  FORT  WRANGLE. 


First  Views  67 

The  Tlingit  idea  of  justice  is  something  of  a 
novelty.  The  code,  however,  is  short;  an  eye 
for  an  eye,  and  a  tooth  for  a  tooth,  is  always 
strictly  demanded.  A  Tlingit  once  shot  at  a 
decoy  duck,  but  he  made  the  owner  pay  for  the 
shot  used.  A  young  Indian  stole  a  rifle  and  ac- 
cidentally killed  himself  with  it.  His  relatives 
made  the  owner  pay  for  the  dead  thief.  If  a 
patient  dies  under  a  doctor's  care  he  pays  for 
him. 

Before  the  advent  of  the  white  man  shaman- 
ism held  sway.  When  a  Tlingit  fell  ill  he  sent 
for  his  medicine  man,  who  by  incantations 
cured  him,  or  failing  that,  accused  some  one  of 
bewitching  his  patient.  The  wizard  or  witch 
was  tortured  and  put  to  death,  after  which  the 
sick  Indian  recovered  or  died,  as  the  case  might 
be. 

Captain  E.  C.  Merriman,  of  the  U.  S.  Navy, 
destroyed  the  power  of  the  shaman  by  rescuing 
the  accused  and  punishing  the  shaman. 

The  shaman  spends  the  greater  part  of  his 
life  in  the  forest,  fasting  and  receiving  inspira- 
tion from  his  totemic  spirits.  A  concoction 
of  dried  frogs'  legs  and  sea  water  give  him 
power  to  perceive  a  man's  soul — the  Tlingit 
woman  had  no  soul  then — escaping  from  his 


68         A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

body  and  to  catch  it  and  restore  it  to  the 
man. 

The  Tlingits  practiced  cremation,  but  the 
body  of  a  shaman  was  never  cremated,  it  would 
not  burn.  It  was  always  buried  in  a  little  box- 
like  tomb.  The  body  was  wrapped  in  blankets 
and  placed  in  a  sitting  posture,  surrounded  by 
the  masks,  wands,  rattles,  and  all  the  parapher- 
nalia of  the  office  of  a  shaman,  ready  for  use 
in  the  heaven  to  which  he  had  gone. 

The  missionaries  have  destroyed  faith  in  the 
shaman  and  broken  up  the  practice  of  crema- 
tion. 

At  Fort  Wrangel  we  called  on  the  chief.  He 
has  the  tallest  and  the  most  handsomely  carved 
pole  in  the  Indian  village. 

There  are  three  kinds  of  totem  poles.  The 
family  totem  pole,  which  is  erected  in  front  of 
the  home.  On  it  are  carved  figures  represent- 
ing the  totems  of  the  family,  the  wife's  totem 
always  surmounting  the  pole  and  the  husband's 
next  below.  Then  appear  totems  of  other 
members  of  the  family. 

The  death  totem  pole  is  erected  at  the  grave. 
On  it  are  engraved  the  totems  of  the  dead  man's 
ancestors,  as  well  as  his  own.  The  third  class 
of  poles  are  erected  to  commemorate  some  re- 


First  Views  69 

markable  event  in  history  of  the  tribe  or  of  the 
man.  These  poles  may  be  seen  up  and  down 
the  coast  from  Vancouver  to  Yakutat. 

'*  And  they  painted   on   the  grave-posts 
Of  the  graves  yet  unforgotten, 
Each  his  ancestral  totem, 
Each  the   symbol   of  his   household, 
Figures  of  the  bear,  the  reindeer, 
Of  the  turtle,   crane  and  beaver. 

— Longfellow. 

The  fine  flower  of  the  native  races  of  the 
coast  are  the  Haidas.  They  are  taller  and 
fairer,  with  more  regular  features  than  any  of 
the  Columbian  coast  tribes.  They  are  aliens  to 
the  Tlingits,  differing  from  them  mentally  and 
physically,  in  speech  and  customs.  The  Tlingits 
call  them  "people  of  the  sea."  They  were  the 
Norsemen  of  the  Pacific  shores;  the  coppery 
Erics  and  Harolds,  who  sailed  the  blue  waters 
of  the  Pacific,  sweeping  the  coast,  attacking 
native  villages,  Hudson  Bay  Company  posts, 
and  the  settlements  of  the  whites.  The  harbor 
at  Seattle  was  a  place  of  rendezvous. 

The  origin  of  this  daring  race  is  a  mystery. 
They  hold  many  traditions  in  common  with 
the  Aztec  and  Zunis  of  Mexico.  Marchand 
identifies  them  with  those  whom  Cortes  drove 
out  of  Mexico.  Many  of  their  images  are  simi- 


70         A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

lar  to  silver  relics  found  in  the  ruins  of  Guate- 
mala. 

These  people  bear  a  resemblance  to  the  Jap- 
anese. They  have  Japanese  words  in  their 
language ;  they  sit  always  at  their  work  and  cut 
towards  them  in  using  tools,  which  are  much 
like  those  in  use  by  the  Japanese  to-day.  They 
have  also  many  modern  Apache  words  in  their 
speech,  while  their  picture  writing  is  similar 
and  in  many  cases  the  same  as  that  of  the 
Zunis. 

Their  own  legend  of  their  origin  runs  in  this 
wise:  During  a  great  flood  when  every  living 
thing  on  the  earth  perished,  a  few  people  floated 
to  the  tops  of  the  mountains  in  canoes,  which 
they  anchored  with  heavy  stones.  The  water 
rose  so  high,  however,  that  they  at  last  were 
drowned. 

The  only  living  thing  to  survive  the  flood 
was  a  raven.  When  the  waters  had  subsided 
he  flew  down  to  the  coast,  where  the  waves 
dashing  on  the  rocks  sent  forth  a  noise  as  of 
thunder.  Presently  he  heard  the  cry  of  babies; 
directly  a  huge  shell  came  rolling  in  on  the 
sandy  beach.  The  raven  opened  it  and  out  came 
a  strange  people.  In  thankfulness  for  their  de- 


First  Views 


71 


liverance  they  have  made  the  raven  their  clan 
totem. 

These  people  make  baskets  and  mats  to-day 
exactly  like  those  made  by  the  natives  of  the 
Islands  of  Polynesia,  while  their  carving,  in 
which  they  excel  all  other  tribes  of  the  North, 
resembles  the  sculpture  of  ancient  Egypt. 

Totem  poles  originated  with  these  people  and 
spread  from  them  to  other  tribes  with  whom 
they  came  in  contact.  They  practiced  crema- 
tion and  their  death  totem  poles  are  always 
hollow,  making  a  receptacle  for  the  ashes  of  the 
dead. 

The  earliest  explorers  found  these  people  liv- 
ing in  houses  built  of  heavy,  hewn  logs,  and 
planks  hewn  out  and  neatly  mortised.  The 
houses  were  covered  with  a  hip  roof,  supported 
by  heavy  rafters  and  thatched  with  an  odd  sort 
of  shingle,  clipped  or  hewn  out  of  the  logs.  On 
the  plank  floors  were  mats  made  from  a  rush 
which  grows  on  the  islands. 

The  old  Hydahs  were  a  warlike  people,  who 
were  ever  waging  battle  with  the  fierce  Chilkats. 


CHAPTER  V 

FURTHER   GLIMPSES 

WRANGEL  narrows  is  one  of  the  finest  scenic 
passages  along  the  coast  of  Alaska.  The  mag- 
nificent range  of  snow-covered  mountain  peaks, 
the  green-clad  slopes  on  the  shore  and  the 
Stickines  delta  compose  as  noble  a  landscape  as 
one  will  see  anywhere  in  the  world.  The 
sunset  and  sunrise  lights  in  the  narrows  and  on 
the  snowy,  cloud-wreathed  mountains  are  mar- 
velous pictures  of  beauty,  beyond  the  power  of 
pen  or  brush  to  portray. 

At  low  tide  broad  bands  of  russet  hued  algae 
border  the  sea-washed  shores.  Giant  kelp 
break  loose  from  their  moorings  and  go  floating 
about,  their  yellow  fronds  and  orange  heads 
contrasting  strangely  with  the  intense  green  of 
the  water.  The  Indians  say  these  kelp  are  the 
queues  of  shipwrecked  Chinamen.  Many  eagles 
build  their  nests  in  the  trees,  while  myriads  of 
seagulls  skim  the  water. 

The  scenery  of  the  Stickine  river  is  equally 
72 


ENTERING  WRANGLE,  NARROWS. 


OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 

OF 


Further  Glimpses  73 

grand.  Three  hundred  glaciers  drain  their 
waters  into  this  river. 

The  tourist  meets  the  first  tide  water  glacier 
in  the  Bay  of  Le  Conte.  The  Stickine  Indians 
called  it  Hutli,  Thunder  Bay.  Here,  they  say, 
dwells  Hutli,  the  Thunder  Bird.  To  their 
imaginative  mind  the  cracking  of  the  ice  and 
the  noise  of  the  falling  icebergs,  is  the  cry  of 
Hutli,  and  the  roar  of  the  falling  water  the 
flapping  of  his  huge  wings. 

In  Lapland  the  guardian  spirit  of  the  moun- 
tains is  known  as  Haltios. 

Juneau  is  located  at  the  foot  of  Mt.  Juneau, 
which  is  more  than  three  thousand  feet  high. 
It  is  snow-capped  and  delicious  water  comes 
pouring  down  the  mountain  sides.  Juneau  is 
a  newly  built  town  and  is  the  largest  on  the 
coast.  It  has  a  population  of  thirty-five 
hundred.  Just  below  the  town  is  a  village 
of  Taku  Indians.  Back  of  the  village  are  the 
grave  houses.  Here  we  find  totem  poles  and 
Indian  offerings  to  the  spirits.  Steamers  bring 
to  this  wharf  fruits  and  vegetables.  Radishes, 
lettuce  and  onions,  also  rhubarb,  look  tempting 
in  the  gardens.  Juneau  is  the  home  of  many 
miners  and  prospectors.  The  chief  mining 
interest  in  this  vicinity  is  the  Treadwell  mines, 


74         A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

located  on  Douglas  island,  just  across  Gasti- 
neau  channel  from  Juneau.  The  ore  runs  from 
two  dollars  and  twenty  cents  to  four  dollars 
per  ton  only,  but  the  water  power  coming  from 
the  mountains  makes  the  working  of  the  mines 
cheap,  so  that  the  company  is  enabled  to  pay 
large  dividends.  Hundreds  of  sacks  of  gold, 
nearly  free  from  rock,  lay  day  and  night  on  the 
wharves,  waiting  for  the  steamers  to  carry  it 
away  to  the  stamping  mill.  On  the  wharf  at 
Treadwell  lay  twenty  thousand  dollars. 

The  mill  spoken  of  is  the  largest  in  the  world. 
It  runs  eight  hundred  and  eighty  stamps  day 
and  night.  There  is  enough  ore  in  sight 
to  run  the  mill  twenty-four  hours  a  day 
for  thirty  years.  The  mountains  are  be- 
ing literally  blasted  down  and  carted  away. 
The  Indians  work  in  the  mines,  but  they 
cannot  compete  with  their  Anglo  Saxon 
brothers,  they  earning  only  about  half  as  much. 
They  will  not  trust  the  white  man  over  night, 
hence  are  paid  at  the  close  of  each  day. 

The  Indians  wear  citizens'  clothes  and  carry 
watches.  Many  of  them  sport  canes  when 
walking  about  the  streets.  The  women  and 
girls  do  the  family  washing-  on  the  rocks  in  the 
mountain  streams.  One  little  black-eyed, 


DOUGLAS  ISLAND,  LOOKING  TOWARD  JUNEAU  , 


Further  Glimpses  75 

brown-faced  witch  who  said  her  name  was 
Troke  Lewis,  was  washing-  handkerchiefs  on  a 
big  rock  over  which  the  water  poured.  She 
paused  to  talk  to  us,  a  cake  of  soap  held  high  in 
one  hand,  while  with  the  other  she  held  her 
handkerchiefs  down  in  the  cold  water  on  the 
rock. 

Just  around  the  cliff,  back  of  Juneau,  lies  the 
beautiful  Silver  Bow  canon. 

There  are  plenty  of  fine  fish  in  the  bay.  Sal- 
mon, trout  and  eels  abound.  The  writer  caught 
a  trout  weighing  ten  pounds  and  an  eel  weigh- 
ing one  pound. 

Skagway  is  located  on  the  Lynn  canal  at  the 
foot  of  Mt.  Dewey,  which  rises  sheer  fifty- 
five  hundred  feet  above  the  sea.  The  cli- 
mate is  very  mild,  the  thermometer  never 
being  known  to  register  over  six  below 
zero.  A  veritable  Ganymede  sends  down 
a  vast  supply  of  the  most  delicious  water. 
Skagway  is  the  coming  city  of  Alaska. 
It  will  be  to  Alaska  what  Chicago  is  to  the 
Middle  Western  States,  what  St.  Paul  and 
Minneapolis  are  to  the  Northwest  and  what 
Seattle  is  to  the  North  Pacific  coast.  Streets 
are  being  laid  out  and  other  improvements  are 
going  on.  Log  cabins  covered  with  tar  paper 


j6         A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

are  being  replaced  by  more  substantial  build- 
ings. People  are  coming  here  to  stay  and  the 
representative  inhabitants  of  this  youthful  town 
are  men  and  women  of  refinement  and  culture 
from  the  Eastern  and  Middle  States. 

At  Skagway  all  sorts  of  vegetables  are  grow- 
ing in  the  gardens,  lettuce,  radishes,  onions, 
potatoes,  cabbage  and  tomatoes. 

We  spent  the  Fourth  of  July  in  this  place. 
Congressman  Warner  invited  us  to  join  him 
and  the  senatorial  party  for  the  day.  We  went 
to  the  summit  of  the  Selkirk  mountains,  to  the 
head  of  the  Yukon  River  on  the  White  Pass 
and  Yukon  railway,  after  which  the  party  was 
entertained  in  Skagway. 

Observation  cars  were  especially  prepared 
for  the  party.  These  consisted  of  flat  cars 
around  which  run  a  railing.  The  seats  were 
reversable  and  ran  lengthwise  of  the  cars.  Thus 
you  might  view  the  wall  of  granite  along  which 
you  were  passing  or  reverse  the  seat  and  behold 
the  wonderful  things  to  be  seen  in  the  pass  be- 
low, where  the  march  of  Civilization  has  left 
her  trail,  cabins,  mining  camps,  amidst  snow 
and  flowering  mosses,  tin  cans,  cracker  boxes; 
and  last  but  not  least,  horses  and  mules  just  as 


Further  Glimpses  77 

good  as  when  they  lay  down  to  their  last  sleep 
in  these  wilds. 

The  run  to  the  summit  was  made  in  two 
hours.  Over  the  same  route  men  and  pack 
mules  plod  along  three  weeks.  Only  in  places 
is  there  much  vegetation  on  these  granite  moun- 
tains. Toward  the  summit  blackberries  are  in 
bloom.  They  are  perfect  plants  only  two 
inches  high,  each  plant  sending  out  two 
or  three  branches  loaded  with  bloom.  Dwarf 
pines  and  tufts  of  grass  grow  in  the  crevices  of 
the  rocks  and  on  the  sides  of  the  mountains, 
where  a  little  soil  has  found  lodgment. 

The  White  Pass  and  Yukon  railway,  which 
was  opened  in  February,  now  runs  trains  over 
the  summit  to  Lake  Bennet.  Work  is  being 
pushed  rapidly  forward  to  the  final  destination, 
Ft.  Selkirk,  Northwest  Territory.  The  dis- 
tance from  Skagway  to  the  summit  is  sixteen 
miles.  The  road  was  blasted  out  of  solid  gran- 
ite all  the  way  and  is  a  wonderful  feat  of  engi- 
neering skill. 

There  are  the  usual  curves  and  loops,  but 
these  are  not  sufficient  to  overcome  the  steep 
grade  which  rises  two  hundred  feet  to  the  mile. 
The  road  rises  thirty-two  hundred  feet  in  the 


78          A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

sixteen  miles.  At  one  place  the  train  was  run 
up  into  a  ravine  on  a  Y.  The  engine  was  un- 
coupled and  coming  in  behind  us  pushed  the 
coaches  up  to  the  summit. 

The  ice  bridges  all  through  the  mquntains  are 
in  good  repair,  the  turbulent  streams  flowing 
under  them  with  a  dash  and  a  roar  of  the  Sel- 
kirk's own. 

All  along  the  way  to  the  summit  is  visible  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  pass,  the  foot  trail  of 
the  Indians.  This  narrow  path  lies  along  the 
sheer  cliffs,  dropping  suddenly  into  deep  ra- 
vines, then  almost  straight  up  the  precipitous 
side  of  the  mountain. 

An  enterprising  company  has  built  a  wagon 
road  to  the  summit,  but  a  nervous  person  had 
best  run  his  carriage  on  more  level  ground. 
This  road  stands  on  end  in  many  places.  It 
runs  along  level  enough  for  a  foot  or  two  then 
takes  a  header  into  a  ravine,  presently  it  winds 
over  a  frail  bridge  which  the  spooming  torrent 
below  threatens  every  minute  to  wreck. 

The  wagon  relegated  the  trail  to  oblivion. 
Then  came  the  railroad  and  travel  and  com- 
merce deserted  the  wagon  road.  Here  they 
lie,  the  foot  trail  on  one  side,  the  wagon  way 
on  the  other,  and  just  above  the  road  way,  the 


OLD  RUSSIAN  COURT  HOUSE,  JUNEAU. 


Further  Glimpses  79 

railway.  Three  path  ways;  that  of  the  un- 
taught, unskilled  Indian,  that  of  the  enterpris- 
ing pioneer  and  that  of  the  modern  engineer, 
traverse  this  play  ground  of  the  Titans. 

At  the  summit  of  the  mountains  Old  Glory 
waves  beside  the  British  flag.  Several  British 
red-coated  police  are  on  duty  at  this  point. 
They  live  in  one-room  frame  houses  covered 
with  sail  cloth. 

The  Yukon  river  rises  at  this  point  and  flows 
four  thousand  miles  into  Behring  Sea.  Just 
now  the  head  is  a  bank  of  snow  from  which  we 
made  snowballs. 

The  railroad  will  shortly  be  completed  to 
Lake  Bennet.  From  that  point,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  White  Horse  rapids,  is  a  clear,  unim- 
peded water  route  to  Dawson  City,  in  the  heart 
of  the  Klondike. 

From  the  Dawson  City  Midnight  Sun  we 
learn  that  this  metropolis  of  the  Northwest 
Territory  is  quite  a  busy  place. 

Hundreds  are  leaving  for  the  Cape  Nome 
country  by  every  steamer,  and  many  are  making 
the  trip  in  open  boats. 

A  disastrous  fire  occurred  on  the  hill  back 
of  Dawson  on  Wednesday  last,  when  about 
forty  cabins  were  destroyed  by  the  blaze.  In 


8o         A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

many  cases  the  entire  contents  were  destroyed, 
while  some  few  were  enabled  to  save  their  out- 
fits. The  fire  caught  from  a  small  bonfire 
down  near  the  Klondike,  and  in  the  first  ravine 
up  that  stream.  It  ran  up  the  hill  to  the  trail, 
and  then  burning  down  towards  the  ferry,  also 
destroyed  half  the  homes  on  the  lower  side  of 
the  trail.  The  loss  is  estimated  to  reach  about 
five  thousand  dollars,  and  fell  on  a  class  who 
could  ill  afford  the  loss,  some  being  left  abso- 
lutely destitute. 

Scows  and  boats  through  from  Lake  Bennett 
-  began  arriving  in  great  numrers  the  last  of  the 
week,  and  are  continuing  to  do  so. 

Trunks  and  bandboxes  are  taking  the  place 
of  dunnage  bags  heretofore  brought  into  the 
country.  Every  steamer  is  unloading  cords  of 
them. 

Men  who  during  the  winter  were  spending 
hundreds  of  dollars  over  the  gambling  tables 
are  now  looking  for  a  chance  to  work  their  pas- 
sage out. 

The  suspicious  actions  of  two  strangers  over 
on  Gold  Run  has  caused  gold  sacks  to  be 
guarded  more  carefully. 

Two  men  while  poling  a  boat  up  the  river, 
were  overturned  near  the  mouth  of  the  Klon- 


STREET  IN  JUNEAU. 


Further  Glimpses  81 

dike,  losing  a  valuable  kit  of  tools.  The  men 
were  picked  up  by  a  boat  pushed  off  from  the 
river  bank. 

The  grand  opera  house,  built  by  Charles 
Meddows,  is  to  be  the  finest  building  in  Daw- 
son.  It  is  three  stories  high.  The  auditorium 
has  a  seating  capacity  of  two  thousand  and  a 
double  row  of  boxes,  forty-two  in  number. 

From  present  indication  Dawson  will  cele- 
brate the  Fourth  of  July  as  it  was  never  before 
celebrated.  Citizens  of  Canada  are  as  eager 
supporters  of  this  movement  as  are  those  of  the 
States.  There  was  a  public  mass  meeting  held 
in  June  at  the  A.  C.  warehouse,  when  there  was 
about  five  hundred  people  present,  and  an  exec- 
utive committee  appointed.  Since  then  the 
different  committees  have  been  appointed  and 
are  meeting  even  better  support  from  all 
quarters  than  expected. 

The  foreman  of  the  Gold  Hill  mine  saved 
from  his  washup  a  thousand  dollars'  worth  of 
handsome  nuggets.  Over  these  he  kept  a  jeal- 
ous eye  continually  until  last  Friday.  Between 
seven  and  eight  o'clock  that  evening  he  went 
to  a  neighboring  cabin  to  bid  good-by  to  Sam 
Miller,  who  was  preparing  to  return  to  the 
States.  During  his  temporary  absence  some 


8  2          A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

sneak  thief  entered  the  cabin  and  cutting  open 
a  valise  secured  the  sack  of  nuggets,  but  in  his 
haste  overlooked  fifteen  hundred  dollars  in  dust 
lying  near  by. 

We  learn  that  a  responsible  firm  is  organiz- 
ing a  properly  conducted  express  company, 
which  will  be  prepared  to  carry  parcels,  gold 
dust,  and  attend  to  commissions.  Thus  a  long 
felt  want  will  be  supplied  in  connection  with 
Dawson's  dealing  with  outside  points. 

The  foreman  of  the  Eldorado  is  doing 
the  finest  piece  of  mining  yet  seen  in  the  Klon- 
dike. A  passer  by  would  think  that  his  large 
force  of  men  was  laying  off  a  baseball  ground, 
so  level  is  the  entire  five  hundred-foot  claim 
being  stripped  for  summer  sluicing. 

Cards  are  out  announcing  the  marriage  of 
two  of  Dawson's  most  prominent  young  peo- 
ple. 

A  beautiful  baby  girl  born  over  on  Bonanza 
claim  the  other  day  is  considered  the  most 
valuable  nugget  on  the  claim. 

Patrick  O'Flynn,  a  prisoner  serving  a  six 
months'  sentence,  escaped  Thursday  and  has 
gone,  nobody  knows  where.  He,  with  other 
prisoners,  was  carrying  water  from  the  Yukon 
when  he  bolted  among  the  tents  along  the  river 


GREEK  CHURCH,  JUNEAU. 


Further  Glimpses  83 

bank,  mingled  with  the  crowd  and  was  lost 
sight  of.  One  hundred  dollars  reward  was 
promptly  offered  for  information  leading  to 
his  capture. 

The  Yukon  has  been  steadily  rising  for  the 
past  week,  and  the  high  water  mark  is  not  yet 
reached.  Water  is  backed  up  in  the  Klondike, 
overflowing  the  island. 

This  little  city  came  near  having  a  Johns- 
town flood  last  winter.  An  eye  witness  thus 
describes  how  the  ice  went  out  at  Dawson. 
The  river  had  been  frozen  all  winter.  When  a 
few  warm  spring  days  came,  the  melting  ice 
and  snow  in  the  mountains  sent  down  immense 
volumes  of  water  the  strain  of  which  the  ice 
could  not  long  withstand.  All  day  the  people 
stood  helplessly  about  discussing  the  situation. 
A  flood  seemed  inevitable;  the  greater  part  of 
the  city  was  in  danger  of  being  swept  away; 
until  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  situa- 
tion was  unchanged,  the  ice  gave  no  evidence 
of  going. 

Suddenly  and  almost  simultaneously  all 
along  the  city  front  the  ice  was  seen  to  com- 
mence moving.  A  steamboat  whistled  and  the 
cry  went  up,  "  The  ice  is  moving/'  and  thou- 
sands of  spectators  rushed  to  the  river  bank 


84         A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

just  in  time  to  see  it  go.  The  dancing  masses 
of  huge  pieces  of  ice  weighing  tons  upon  tons, 
reared  high  in  the  air  and  tumbling  over  each 
other  as.  they  fell,  presented  a  most  beautiful 
spectacle.  At  ten  o'clock  it  jammed  and 
raised  the  water  about  three  feet,  doing  no 
damage  except  smashing  the  wheel  of  the 
steamer  Nellie  Irving.  In  ten  minutes  the  jam 
broke  and  the  next  morning  the  river,  which 
the  day  before  was  frozen  solid  across,  was  en- 
tirely free  except  for  blocks  of  floating  ice  from 
above. 

Last  year  ice  jammed  and,  backing  the  water 
up,  flooded  the  town,  doing  much  damage. 


INDIAN  CHIEF'S  HOUSE,  JUNEAU. 


CHAPTER  VI 

GOLD  FIELDS 

THE  United  States  Geological  Survey  has 
gathered  a  volume  of  information  on  the  sub- 
ject of  the  gold  fields  of  Alaska.  The  object  of 
the  expedition  was  to  discover  the  source  from 
which  the  gold  of  the  Yukon  placer  mines  was 
derived.  A  belt  of  auriferous  rocks,  five  hun- 
dred miles  long  and  from  fifty  to  one  hundred 
wide,  runs  from  the  British  Territory  across 
the  American  line  at  Forty  Mile  Creek.  It  is 
the  opinion  of  the  Geological  Survey  that  the 
gold  deposits  of  Alaska  will  rival  those  of 
South  Africa. 

Returning  to  Skagway  the  gentlemen  of  our 
party  were  entertained  at  a  banquet  given  by 
the  members  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  in 
their  building. 

The  ladies  were  invited  by  Mrs.  Bracket  to 

her  lovely  home  where  a  delightful  luncheon 

was  served.     The  leading  ladies  of  Skagway 

were  met  at  the  home  of  our  charming  hostess 

85 


86         A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

to  bid  us  welcome  to  their  enterprising  little 
city. 

An  employe  of  the  engineering  department 
of  the  White  Pass  and  Yukon  Railroad 
is  at  the  Portland  hotel.  He  came  in 
from  Cariboo  Crossing  to  celebrate  the  Fourth, 
and  recuperate  from  a  hard  trip  up  the 
Watson  river  and  along  the  foothills  of  the 
mountains  to  the  Fifty  Mile  river  below  White 
Horse  Rapids.  Most  of  the  country  through 
which  the  party  traveled  is  entirely  new  to  map 
makers  and  no  signs  of  trails,  mess  debris, 
chopping  or  other  evidences  of  a  previous  visi- 
tation could  be  found.  As  a  consequence  a 
number  of  streams  and  lakes  were  discovered. 
Of  the  latter  some  are  quite  large  and  are  teem- 
ing with  large  lake  trout.  The  latter  were 
caught  in  large  numbers  by  throwing  a  common 
pickerel  trotting  hook,  attached  to  a  line,  out 
into  the  lake  and  hauling  it  ashore.  It  was  sel- 
dom that  a  cast  failed  to  land  a  fish.  Artificial 
flies  had  no  attraction  for  them.  In  appear- 
ance these  fish  look  very  much  like  the  moun- 
tain trout  of  Puget  Sound,  but  are  much  lighter 
in  color.  The  topographer  of  the  party,  says 
they  are  identical  with  the  trout  found  in  the 
Adirondack  lake  regions. 


SUMMIT  OF  THE  SELKIRK  RANGE,  AT  HEAD  OF  YUKON  RIVER. 
OLD  GLORY  WAVES  BESIDE  THE  BRITISH  FLAG. 


•B 


THE  SKAGUAY  ENCHANTRESS. 


Gold  Fields  87 

The  head  chainman,  killed  a  huge  brown 
bear,  which,  after  being  shot,  made  a  furious 
charge  upon  him  and  was  only  laid  low  when 
but  a  few  feet  away  from  his  slayer. 

The  lower  lands  of  this  country  are  almost 
entirely  devoid  of  rock.  The  soil  is  an  ashy 
sand  patched  with  powdered  limestone  stretch- 
ing over  the  country  in  white  patches  like  alkali 
lakes.  On  the  Forty  Mile  river  declivity  the 
country  is  cut  up  with  huge  pot-holes.  Many 
of  these  contain  lakes  of  the  purest  water,  that 
gleam  in  the  sunlight  in  green,  azure  and  dark 
blue  according  to  their  depths  and  shades.  A 
curious  peculiarity  of  these  lakes  lies  in  the  fact 
that  their  outlets  and  inlets  are  subterranean. 
They  receive  their  supply  from  the  bottoms 
of  lakes  above  and  their  overflow  per- 
colates through  their  lower  banks  to  lakes 
below. 

The  country  swarms  with  ducks,  snipe  and 
other  water  fowl.  It  is  now  the  breeding  sea- 
son and  ducks  followed  by  broods  of  ducklings 
may  be  seen  along  the  edge  of  every  sheet  of 
water.  Much  fresh  sign  of  bear,  moose,  moun- 
tain sheep  and  cariboo  were  seen  throughout 
the  country,  but  the  noise  attendant  upon  the 
progress  of  the  party  along  the  line  of  their 


88         A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

journey,  gave  all  the  big  game  a  good  opportu- 
nity to  get  out  of  sight. 

The  open  coulees  and  plateaus  of  this  country 
are  waving  with  luxuriant  bunch-grass,  rye- 
grass  and  redtop,  but  the  mosquitoes  are  in 
such  untold  numbers  and  so  violent  in  their  at- 
tacks that  the  pack  horses  of  the  party  were  too 
worried  to  receive  much  benefit  in  grazing.  In 
places  are  woodlands  of  large  spruce  and  tall 
lodge-pole  pines,  but  most  of  the  timber  is 
scrubby  and  fit  only  for  fuel. 

No  indications  of  mineral  could  be  seen. 

The  night  before  the  Fourth  a  large  flag  was 
planted  on  top  of  Mt.  Dewey.  The  town  was 
decorated  with  bunting  and  flags.  Well  dressed 
people  thronged  the  streets.  An  oration  was 
delivered  from  the  grand  stand  and  foot 
and  horse  races  lent  zest  to  the  sports. 

The  town  has  two  fire  companies.  These 
exhibited  their  hose-carts  and  ran  a  race,  mak- 
ing an  exhibition  of  their  skill  in  handling  the 
hose.  Water  is  plenty,  as  it  comes  down  the 
mountain  side  in  a  vast  volume  from  a  lake  near 
the  summit  of  Mt.  Dewey  and  is  piped  over  the 
town. 

While  the  town  looks  and  is  new  there  was 
nothing  to  distinguish  the  celebration  of  the  na- 


SKAGUAY,  SHOWING  WHITE  PASS. 


Gold  Fields  89 

tional  holiday  from  the  same  day  in  the  States. 

We  are  now  above  the  line  of  night.  It  is  as 
light  as  day  all  night.  No  light  is  needed  as 
one  can  read  at  any  time  of  night  without  it. 
The  sun  scarcely  sets  in  the  west  until  it  rises 
in  the  east.  At  Summit  lake,  which  is  at  the 
top  of  the  mountains,  there  is  no  night  at  all, 
it  being  in  latitude  sixty  north  and  longitude 
one  hundred  and  sixty  west. 

The  display  of  the  aurora  borealis  each  night 
is  a  scene  never  to  be  forgotten.  Night  after 
night  the  whole  northern  sky  is  aflame  with  a 
light  akin  to  sunlight  tempered  by  moonlight 
and  enriched  by  the  splendor  of  the  rainbow's 
glorious  hues.  The  Tlingit  Indians  believe  the 
aurora  to  be  the  ghost-dance  of  dead  warriors 
who  live  on  the  plains  of  the  sky. 

The  Skagway  enchantress  is  a  figure  in  stone 
high  up  on  the  mountain  side  resembling  a 
woman.  Her  flowing  garments  resemble  those 
of  a  stylish  Parisian  gown.  The  Indians  for- 
merly crossed  the  mountains  at  this  point,  Chil- 
kat  Pass,  but  this  witch  long  ago  enchanted  the 
trail,  so  that  it  meant  death  to  follow  it.  The 
Indians  now  turn  aside  here  and  follow  the 
White  Pass. 


90          A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

High  above  the  enchantress's  head  a  bear, 
whose  head  is  plainly  visible,  stands  guard  over 
her. 

If  you  look  long  enough  on  a  moonlight 
night  you  can  see  the  Enchantress  move,  but 
she  cannot  leave  the  mountain.  She  cannot 
come  down,  yet  Chilkat  Pass  remains  en- 
chanted. 


MU1R  GLACIER  (SECTION  OF) 


CHAPTER  VII 

MUIR  GLACIER 

THE  sun  shone  bright  and  warm,  but  a  cold 
wave  swept  over  the  glacier.  It  was  the  beau- 
tiful Muir  glacier. 

We  left  the  steamer  in  a  little  boat  and  were 
rowed  to  the  shore,  landing  on  the  sandy  beach. 
High  on  the  sand  lay  an  Indian  canoe,  a  dug- 
out. Near  by  a  party  of  Indians  wrapped  in 
their  scarlet  blankets  squatted  on  the  sand. 
They  had  come  to  meet  the  steamer  and  sell 
their  toys,  baskets  and  slippers. 

A  little  black  eyed  boy  had  a  half  dozen  young 
seagulls,  in  a  basket,  great  awkward  squabs. 
Their  coats  were  a  dirty  fuzzy  down  like  that 
of  a  gosling,  sprinkled  over  with  black  dots. 
Their  big  hungry  mouths  and  frowsy  coats 
gave  no  hint  of  the  beautiful  birds  they  would 
be  when  they  grew  up. 

When   I   paused   to   look   at  the  birds  their 
owner  regarded  me  with  interest  as  he  sat  with 
the   basket    hugged    to  his  breast.     Then  the 
91 


92          A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

young  merchant  held  one  up  for  my  inspection, 
with  the  remark,  "  hees  nice  bird/' 

"  Yes,"  said  I,  "  hees  very  nice."  I  had  no 
thought  of  buying  a  seagull.  What  would  I  do 
with  it?  Then  I  remembered  a  little  invalid 
boy  whom  I  thought  might  be  pleased  with  a 
pet  seagull. 

"  How  much  you  give?  "  inquired  my  little 
Indian  boy. 

"  How  much  will  you  take?  " 

"  Two  bits." 

So,  I  paid  down  my  two  bits  and  picked  up 
my  baby  seagull.  Then  my  little  merchant 
spoke  up,  "  Him  want  basket?  " 

"  Yes,"  I  said,  "  I  think  that  I  want  a  bas- 
ket." 

The  basket  was  paid  for  and  my  enterprising 
little  Indian  tucked  the  baby  gull  in  with  a  wisp 
of  sea  weed  and  handed  him  to  me  with  the  re- 
mark, "  Him  all  right  now." 

How  that  gull  did  squawk  when  he  found 
himself  all  alone  in  a  big  basket.  What  cared 
he  that  I  had  purchased  for  him  the  prettiest 
basket  on  the  beach  ?  He  wanted  his  brothers. 
When  we  arrived  on  the  deck  of  the  steamer 
I  hurried  my  gull  down  to  the  steward  and 
gained  admission  for  him  to  the  cook's  depart- 


Muir  Glacier  95 

never  to  be  forgotten.  Avalanches  and  great 
blocks  of  crumbling  ice  are  continually  falling 
with  a  crash  and  roar  into  the  sea,  while  spray 
dashes  high  and  great  waves  roll  along  the  wall 
of  the  glacier,  washing  the  blocks  of  floating  ice 
upon  the  sandy  beach  on  either  side  of  the  great 
ice-wall.  The  great  buttresses  on  either  side 
as  they  rise  from  the  sea  are  solid  white,  veined 
and  streaked  with  mud  and  rocks,  but  farther 
in  near  the  middle  of  the  wall  the  color  changes 
to  turquoise  and  sapphire  blues,  blended  with 
the  changeable  greens  of  the  sea. 

The  upper  strata  of  a  glacier  moves  faster 
than  the  lower  and  is  constantly  being  pushed 
forward,  producing  a  perpendicular  and  at 
times  projecting  front.  A  piece  of  the  project- 
ing front  breaks  off  and  falls  with  a  heavy 
splash  into  the  water,  then  up  it  comes  almost 
white.  Now  a  piece  breaks  from  the  lower  and 
older  strata  and  comes  up  a  dazzling  green. 
Again  a  deafening  roar  as  of  artillery  and  a 
huge  piece  of  ice  splits  off  from  top  to  bottom  of 
the  sea  wall  and  goes  plunging  and  raving  like 
a  great  lion  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  then  up  it 
comes  slowly,  a  berg  of  dazzling  rainbow  hues. 
Such  a  one,  as  big  as  all  the  business  houses  in  a 
village,  floated  toward  the  beach  and  the  out- 


96         A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

going  tide  left  it  stranded  there.  We  ate  a 
piece  of  it,  ice  thousands  of  years  old,  and  drank 
water  from  a  cup  or  pocket  in  its  side. 

The  beach  is  strewn  with  rock,  pebbles  and 
bowlders  carved  by  the  icy  hand  of  the  glacier. 
Along  the  beach  near  the  glacier,  just  above 
high  tide,  in  the  rocks  and  sand  grow  lagoon 
grass,  laurel  and  beautiful  clarkias.  These  bril- 
liant purple  flowers  are  named  for  Prof.  Clarke, 
who  first  studied  and  classified  them.  They 
are  sweet  scented  and  belong  to  the  evening 
primrose  family. 

The  Tlingit  Indians  believe  that  mountains 
were  once  living  creatures  and  that  the  glaciers 
are  their  children.  These  parents  hold  them  in 
their  arms,  dip  their  feet  into  the  sea,  then  cover 
them  with  snow  in  the  winter  and  scatter  rocks 
and  sand  over  them  in  summer.  These  In- 
dians dread  the  cold  and  always  speak  tl-e  name 
Sith,  the  ice  god,  in  a  whisper.  They 
have  no  fear  of  a  hades  such  as  ours.  To  them 
hell  is  a  place  of  everlasting  cold.  The  chill  of 
the  ice  god's  breath  is  death.  He  freezes  rivers 
into  glaciers  and  when  angry  heaves  down  the 
bergs  and  crushes  canoes.  When  summer 
comes  the  ice  spirit  sleeps,  but  the  Indians  speak 


Muir  Glacier  93 

ment,  where  he  was  cared  for  the  remainder 
of  the  voyage. 

It  is  something  of  a  novelty  to  be  seated  at 
the  base  of  a  glacier  in  July.  From  the  Chil- 
koot  to  the  source  of  the  Yukon  river  is  only 
thirty-five  miles,  but  the  intervening  mountain 
chain  is  several  thousand  feet  high  and  bears 
numerous  glaciers  on  its  seaward  side.  Forty 
miles  west  of  Lynn  canal  and  separated  from  it 
by  a  low  range  of  mountains  is  Glacier  bay,  and 
at  the  head  of  one  of  its  inlets  is  the  far-famed 
Muir  glacier.  It  is  one  of  the  many  fields  of 
ice  which  stellates  from  a  center  fifteen  miles 
back  of  the  Muir  front  and  covers  the  valley  of 
the  mountains  between  the  Pacific  and  the 
headwaters  of  the  Yukon  river.  Nine  glaciers 
now  discharge  icebergs  into  the  bay.  All  of 
these  glaciers  have  receded  from  one  to  four 
miles  in  the  past  twenty  years.  Kate  Field 
says,  "  In  Switzerland  a  glacier  is  a  vast  bed  of 
dirty  air-holed  ice  that  has  fastened  itself  like 
a  cold  porous  plaster  to  the  Alps.  In  Alaska 
a  glacier  is  a  wonderful  torrent  that  seems  to 
have  been  frozen  when  about  to  plunge  into  the 
sea."  There  they  lay,  almost  free  from  de- 
bris, clear  and  gleaming  in  the  cold  sunshine  of 
Alaska.  The  most  beautiful  of  them  all  is  the 


94         A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

Muir  glacier.  It  is  named  in  honor  of  John 
Muir,  who  visited  Alaska  in  company  with  Mr. 
Young,  the  Presbyterian  missionary,  in  1879, 
and  discovered  it.  This  glacier  extends  straight 
across  the  fiord,  presenting  at  tide  water  a  per- 
pendicular wall  two  hundred  to  four  hundred 
feet  above  and  seven  hundred  and  fifty  feet  be- 
low the  surface,  making  a  solid  wall  of  ice  a 
thousand  feet  high  and  three  miles  wide. 

I  cannot  do  better  than  to  give  Prof.  Muir's 
own  description  of  this  wonderful  mer  de  glace: 
"The  front  and  brow  of  the  glacier  were  dashed 
and  sculptured  into  a  maze  of  yawning  chasms, 
ravines,  canons,  crevasses,  and  a  bewildering 
chaos  of  architectural  forms,  beautiful  beyond 
description,  and  so  bewildering  in  their  beauty 
as  to  almost  make  the  spectator  believe  he  is 
reveling  in  a  dream.  There  were  great  clusters 
of  glistening  spires,  gables,  obelisks,  monoliths, 
and  castles,  standing  out  boldly  against  the  sky, 
with  bastion  and  mural  surmounted  by  fretted 
cornice  and  every  interstice  and  chasm  reflect- 
ing a  sheen  of  scintillating  light  and  deep  blue 
shadow,  making  a  combination  of  color,  daz- 
zling, startling  and  enchanting." 

This  is  nature's  iceberg  factory.  The  "  calv- 
ing "  of  a  berg  is  a  wonderful  sight  and  one 


GREEK  CHURCH,  KILLISNOO. 


Muir  Glacier  97 

in  whispers  and  never  touch  the  icebergs  with 
their  canoe  paddles  for  fear  of  awaking  him. 

Once  upon  a  time  glaciers  plowed  over  Illi- 
nois. Manitoba  and  Hudson  Bay  were  then 
great  snow  and  ice  fields,  down  from  which 
swept  the  glaciers  over  the  United  States  south 
to  the  Ohio  river.  Great  rocks  and  bowlders 
were  carried  along  and  deposited  here  and  there 
on  the  broad  prairies.  Many  of  these  rocks  and 
bowlders  may  still  be  seen  in  central  Illinois, 
still  bearing  the  marks  of  the  glacial  slide. 

An  odd  old  character  in  our  neighborhood 
used  to  tell  us  children  that  those  big  flattened 
bowlders  were  left  there  for  the  good  people  to 
stand  on  when  the  world  should  be  burned  up. 
"  Would  they  get  hot  ?  "  we  asked.  "  Oh,  how 
could  they  when  they  had  lain  years  in  the 
heart  of  a  glacier?  "  To  all  of  our  questions 
as  to  how  he  knew  he  always  turned  a  deaf 
ear. 

Our  sailors  rowed  out  and  with  ropes  cap- 
tured an  iceberg  which  they  said  would  weigh 
five  tons  and  with  rope  and  tackle  hauled  it 
aboard  and  put  it  down  in  the  hold.  Then  they 
captured  a  second  one  not  quite  so  large  and 
after  it  was  safely  stored  away  we  weighed  an- 


98          A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

chor  and  steamed  out  of  the  beautiful  bay, 
afloat  with  jcebergs,  many  of  them  being  larger 
above  water  than  our  ship.  But  one  disap- 
pointment met  me,  not  a  polar  bear  was  in  sight. 

A  nunatak  is  an  area  of  fertile  land  sur- 
rounded by  ice.  One  of  the  finest  on  the  Alas- 
kan coast  is  Blossom  island.  It  is  quite  a  large 
tract  of  rich  land  covered  with  forest  and 
brilliant  flowers. 

When  Mr.  Young  (before  mentioned)  was 
missionary  to  the  Hooniah  Indians  they  ap- 
pealed to  him  to  pray  to  God  to  keep  the  gla- 
ciers from  cutting  down  the  trees  on  the  bays 
putting  into  Cross  sound.  They  said  their  medi- 
cine man  had  advised  them  to  offer  as  a  sacri- 
fice two  of  their  slaves  to  the  ice  god,  but  this 
they  had  done  without  any  effect.  They  were 
greatly  disappointed  when  Mr.  Young  told 
them  that  he  could  do  nothing  to  prevent  the 
glaciers  destroying  their  forests. 

Passing  Cross  strait  we  go  down  Chatham 
strait.  Our  next  stop  is  Killisnoo,  a  small 
fishing  hamlet  on  Admiralty  island.  The 
largest  cod  liver  oil  factory  in  the  world  is  lo- 
cated here.  The  Northwest  Trading  Company 
established  a  fishing  post  here  in  1880.  Chat- 
ham strait  is  full  of  cod.  The  fish  are  arti- 


KITCHNATTI. 


Muir  Glacier 


99 


ficially  dried.  The  natives  receive  two  cents 
apiece  for  a  five-pound  fish.  Many  fish  are 
packed  in  salt.  Our  steamer  took  on  many 
hundred  pounds  of  dried  and  packed  fish.  Cod 
liver  oil  is  made  in  the  factory.  Each  barrel 
of  fish  when  pressed  yields  three  quarts  of  oil 
valued  at  twenty-five  cents  to  thirty-five  cents 
per  gallon.  The  refuse  of  fifty  barrels  of  fish 
when  dried  and  powdered  yields  one  ton  of 
guano  worth  thirty  dollars.  This  is  shipped  to 
the  fruit  ranches  of  California  and  the  sugar 
plantations  of  the  Hawaiian  islands.  Great 
vats  of  oil  stand  in  rows  under  the  shed  of  the 
factory. 

There  is  a  little  fish  here  called  the  candle 
fish.  It  is  almost  all  oil.  For  a  light  the  na- 
tives impale  this  fish  on  a  stick  and  light  the 
fish.  It  burns  with  a  sizzle  and  sputter  but 
makes  a  good  light. 

This  is  a  beautiful  island.  The  gardens  are 
now  at  their  best.  Everything  grows  luxuri- 
antly. Fine  strawberries,  currants  and  goose- 
berries are  grown.  Beds  of  royal  purple  and 
golden  pansies  in  dewy  splendor  adorn  the 
yards  and  gardens,  great  broad  faced  beauties 
measuring  from  two  to  two  and  a  half  inches 
across. 


ioo       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

Here  we  met  our  first  Alaskan  mosquito. 
He  is  about  the  size  of  our  glow  flies.  His  bite 
is  something  to  remember.  It  leaves  a  minia- 
ture snow  capped  mountain  on  your  face. 

The  Indians  say  that  once  upon  a  time,  many 
thousand  of  snows  ago,  he  was  a  giant  spider, 
but  a  wicked  manitou  tossed  him  into  the  fire 
one  day  where  he  shriveled  up  to  his  present 
size.  The  bad  manitou  thought  him  dead 
but  when  the  fire  burned  low  he  escaped  and 
flew  away  with  a  live  coal  in  his  mouth  which 
he  carries  to  this  day.  Since  he  could  not  be 
revenged  on  the  manitou  he  takes  his  vengeance 
out  on  man. 

Arachne,  fair  mortal,  at  Minerva's  fateful 
touch  shrank  and  shriveled  into  a  spider. 

The  student  of  Indian  myths  will  be  im- 
pressed before  he  carries  his  researches  very 
far,  with  the  likeness  of  many  of  these  legends 
to  the  mythologies  of  the  old  world. 

These  Indians,  the  Kootznahoos,  claim  to 
have  come  from  over  the  seas.  They  deny  any 
relation  with  the  Tlingits.  They  were  the  first 
Indians  to  distill  Hoochinoo,  which  carries  more 
fight  and  warwhoop  to  the  drop  than  any  other 
liquor  known.  It  is  made  from  a  mash  of  yeast 
and  molasses,  thickened  with  a  little  flour. 


Muir  Glacier  101 

They  were  great  fighters  and  murdered  the 
traders  as  soon  as  the  Russians  left.  In  1869 
Commander  Mead  shelled  the  village  and  took 
Kitchnatti  prisoner.  He  was  taken  to  Mare 
Island,  California,  and  confined  for  a  year. 
The  tribe  now  numbers  only  five  hundred 
souls.  They  are  a  peaceable  people  and 
follow  fishing  for  a  livelihood.  Many  of 
them  are  employed  in  the  fish  factory  on  the 
island.  Kitchnatti  is  still  the  recognized 
chief,  and  is  very  proud  of  his  position. 
He  meets  all  the  steamers  coming  in  and 
is  delighted  to  meet  the  officers  of  the  vessels, 
all  of  whom  are  kind  to  him.  He  is  quite  vain 
in  his  dress,  wearing  a  silk  hat,  long  coat,  black 
pantaloons  and  slippers.  He  also  sports  a  cane, 
which  is  a  sheathed  sword.  He  claims  descent 
from  ancestry  as  old  as  "  yonder  granite  moun- 
tain "  which  stands  across  the  strait.  His  state 
dress,  consists  of  a  crown  made  of  goat  horns 
and  a  tunic  made  of  red  felt  trimmed  with  fur. 
Over  his  door  he  has  posted  his  escutcheon, 
which  some  one  has  translated  for  him  into 
English.  It  reads,  "  By  the  governor's  permis- 
sion and  the  company's  commission  I  am  made 
the  Grand  Tyhee  of  this  entire  illabee." 

On  a  green  slope  stands  a  Greek  church,  es- 


CHAPTER  VIII 

SITKA 

SITKA  is  beautifully  located  at  the  foot  of  the 
mountains  and  commands  a  fine  view  seaward. 
The  streets  are  not  regularly  laid  out.  Every- 
one appears  to  have  chosen  the  site  that  pleased 
him  best,  regardless  of  his  neighbors.  Many  of 
the  buildings  are  old.  At  every  turn  one  is 
made  aware  of  Russian  architecture.  Several 
blocks  from  the  wharf  and  directly  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  street  stands  the  Russian  orthodox 
church  of  St.  Michaels.  The  interior  is  richly 
decorated.  Many  rich  paintings  adorn  the 
walls.  A  handsome  brass  chandelier  hangs 
from  the  ceiling.  Massive  brass  candlesticks 
stand  on  either  side  of  the  door.  The  interior 
is  finished  in  white  and  gold,  and  the  inner 
sanctuary  where  women  may  not  enter  is  sepa- 
rated from  the  church  proper  by  fine  bronze 
doors. 

The  Sitka  Mission  and  Industrial  School  was 
established  by  the  Presbyterian  board  in  1878. 
103 


104       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

There  are  now  enrolled  sixty-four  boys  and 
forty-six  girls.  School  continues  nine  months 
of  the  year.  The  boys  and  girls  occupy  sepa- 
rate buildings.  The  forenoon  the  pupils  spend 
in  the  school  rooms  and  the  afternoons  the  girls 
spend  in  the  sewing  room  and  the  boys  in  the 
shops.  The  superintendent  called  a  bright  boy 
about  twelve  years  of  age  and  asked  him  if  he 
could  show  me  about  the  grounds  and  through 
the  workshops  while  he  conducted  a  larger 
party  in  a  different  direction.  "  Yes  sir/'  and 
with  a  touch  of  his  cap  to  me,  led  the  way  to  the 
carpenter  shop.  Two  young  men  busy  at  work 
at  a  long  bench  touched  their  caps  and  a  "  Good 
afternoon,  madam/5  greeted  me.  "  Yes  madam, 
I  am  a  carpenter/'  proudly  replied  one  of  the 
young  men  to  my  question.  He  was  about 
eighteen  years  old,  while  his  companion  was 
only  sixteen.  In  this  shop  the  pupils  make  ta- 
bles, chairs  and  all  sorts  of  furniture.  I  was 
next  conducted  to  the  tin  shop,  where  besides 
pots  and  pans,  stoves  are  made  out  of  sheet  iron 
and  scraps  of  any  old  thing  that  is  left  over. 
All  of  the  stoves  in  the  school  buildings  are 
made  in  this  \vay.  My  young  Indian  guide 
next  conducted  me  to  the  shoe  shop. 

The  schools  are  having  vacation  now,  so  the 


Sitka  105 

shops  are  not  running  a  full  number  of  pupils. 
The  conductor  and  two  pupils  were  at  work, 
the  former  on  fine  shoes  and  the  latter  on  heavy 
Klondike  boots.  Each  boy  has  his  own  cob- 
bler's bench  and  a  full  set  of  tools.  A  third 
boy  was  sauntering  about  the  room  making 
himself  familiar  with  his  surroundings.  The 
conductor  of  the  shop  told  me  that  this  lad  had 
chosen  the  shoe  maker's  trade  and  was  to  be- 
gin work  on  the  following  morning. 

The  boys  all  greeted  me  with  a  smile 
of  welcome  when  I  entered  and  bade  me 
good-by  when  I  departed.  My  guide  said 
that  the  paint  shop  was  closed,  but  he  ex- 
plained to  me  the  object  of  the  shop  and 
the  work  done  there.  When  I  asked  him 
if  he  had  chosen  his  trade  he  politely  ex- 
plained that  he  had  only  been  in  the  school  a 
year  and  that  he  had  not  decided  what  he  would 
like.  The  pupils  enter  for  five  years,  the  par- 
ents or  guardian  signing  a  contract  to  that,  ef- 
fect. My  guide  conducted  me  to  the  gate, 
where  I  thanked  him  for  his  kindness.  He 
gracefully  touched  his  cap  and  said :  "  Good-by 
madam,  I  was  glad  to  show  you  about." 

All  of  the  dormitories,  play  rooms  and 
school  rooms  are  models  of  neatness.  In  the 


106       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

girls'  building  the  bread  was  just  being  taken 
out  of  the  bake  oven.  Thirty  loaves  was  the 
day's  baking.  The  boys  make  the  bread  and 
put  it  to  rise.  The  girls  mould  it  out  and  bake 
it.  The  Indians  are  very  proud  of  the  school 
and  come  of  their  own  accord  seeking  admis- 
sion for  their  children.  This  school  is  making 
these  Indians  self-supporting  and  consequently 
prosperous.  One  sees  many  bright  faces  among 
them  and  the  younger  people  are  happy  and 
contented,  with  nothing  in  their  dress  or  man- 
ner to  distinguish  them  from  young  white 
Americans  of  the  same  age.  In  an  old  block- 
house located  on  a  rocky  prominence  overlook- 
ing the  sea  some  of  the  boys  of  the  school  spend 
the  evening  hours  in  band  practice.  They, 
played  until  eleven  o'clock  on  the  parade 
ground  without  a  light,  reading  their  music  by 
twilight.  The  selections  were  choice  and  well 
rendered.  They  played  "  Star  Spangled  Ban- 
ner "  as  an  opening  piece.  Sitka  is  rightfully 
proud  of  her  Indian  band.  The  Indian  is 
given  his  chance  in  this  land  of  the  midnight 
sun  and  he  is  making  the  most  of  his  opportu- 
nities. 

Opposite  the  Mission  on  the  bank  of  the  In- 
dian River  is  a  large  square  rock  called  the 


BLOCKHOUSE  ON  BANK  OF  INDIAN  RIVER,  SITKA,  ALASKA. 


Sitka  107 

Blarney-stone,  which  dowers  the  kisser  with  a 
magic  tongue,  but  never  a  four  leafed  shamrock 
in  all  the  merry  dell  with  which  to  weave  a 
magic  spell. 

The  Sitkans,  like  all  native  races  have  a 
mythical  legend  as  to  their  origin. 

Two  brothers,  twins,  lived  in  paradise.  One 
of  them  ate  a  sea  cucumber.  It  was  the 
one  forbidden  fruit.  The  paradise  became  a 
wilderness.  The  brothers  were  starving  when  a 
band  of  roving  Stickines  came  that  way  one  day 
and  pitying  them  left  them  wives  to  care  for 
them. 

From  one  of  these  pairs  sprang  all  the  Kak- 
satti,  the  Crow  clan.  From  the  other  de- 
scended all  the  Kokwantons,  the  Wolf  clan. 

The  legends  of  these  Indians  as  well  as  all 
other  tribes  in  this  country,  contain  a  full  ac- 
count of  the  landing  of  Columbus.  The  news 
was  carried  overland  from  post  to  post  and  tribe 
to  tribe  by  runners.  The  history  of  the  tribe 
at  Sitka  runs  back  five  hundred  years.  Beyond 
that  period  they  have  no  record  and  frankly 
say  that  they  have  no  authentic  account  of  their 
origin. 

Their  stature,  their  industry,  their  faith  in 
the  shamin,  their  belief  in  transmigration  of 


io8       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

souls,  all  point  to  Asiatic  origin.  Their  word 
for  water  is  agua,  much  like  the  Latin  aqua. 

The  Mission  and  Training  schools  have 
transformed  these  savages,  whose  ancestors 
murdered  the  intrepid  Muscovites,  into  frontier 
fishermen,  boatmen  and  loggers. 

An  Indian  never  willingly  consents  to  have 
his  photograph  taken,  because,  when  you  have 
a  picture  of  him,  he  firmly  believes  that  you  have 
power  over  his  soul.  The  educated  Indian, 
however,  is  fearless  of  the  camera. 

The  Kletwantans  and  the  Klukwahuttes,  two 
branches  of  the  Frog  clan,  are  at  variance  over 
the  erection  of  a  totem  pole  and  have  gone  into 
court  to  settle  the  matter.  The  Klukwahuttes 
are  the  true  aristocrats  of  Indian  society  in 
Sitka.  The  Kletwantons  are  the  wealthy  mem- 
bers of  the  real  Indian  four  hundred,  but  having 
made  their  money  in  fish  and  oil,  are  considered 
upstarts  by  their  more  aristocratic  brothers. 
The  Kletwantons  decided  to  build  a  new  home 
for  the  chief  and  to  set  up  an  elaborately  carved 
and  decorated  totem  pole.  The  eyes  of  the  frog 
which  was  to  surmount  this  wonderful  pole 
were  to  be  twenty-dollar  gold  pieces.  A  grand 
potlatch  was  to  be  held  when  the  pole  was  ready 
to  set  up.  All  of  the  Indians  up  and  down  the 


Sitka  109 

coast,  from  Juneau,  Killisnoo,  Skagway,  Ft. 
Wrangel  and  Bella  Bellas,  were  invited,  but  the 
aristocratic  Klukwahuttes  were  left  out.  Did 
they  sit  down  and  quietly  ignore  this  insult? 
No  indeed.  They  told  their  wealthy  brothers 
in  true  American  style  what  they  thought  of 
such  conduct,  and  the  matter  would,  no  doubt, 
have  been  dropped  here  had  not  the  wealthy 
fish  oil  makers  denied  that  the  Klukwahut- 
tes belonged  to  the  Frog  clan  at  all.  Upon 
this  things  grew  so  warm  that  the  missionary 
appealed  to  the  district  attorney  to  aid  him  in 
making  the  Indians  keep  the  peace.  Then  the 
disgusted  Klukwahuttes  went  to  him  asking  for 
an  injunction  to  keep  the  pretended  Frogs  from 
holding  the  potlatch  and  setting  up  the  pole. 
He  replied  to  them  that  he  would  take  the  case 
upon  them  paying  him  a  retainer  of  five  hun- 
dred dollars,  feeling  sure  that  would  end  the 
matter,  well  knowing  that  they  could  not  raise 
the  money.  Petitioned  again  he  reduced  his 
fee  to  two  hundred 'and  fifty  dollars,  feeling 
quite  sure  that  they  could  not  raise  even  that 
amount.  But  he  reckoned  without  his  host.  In 
less  than  two  hours  the  leading  men  of  the 
Klukwahuttes  filed  into  his  office,  carrying  goat 
skin  bags  and  pouches  filled  with  money  and 


1 1  o       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

counted  out  the  two  hundred  and  fifty  dol- 
lars in  small  coins,  no  coin  being  larger  than 
a  fifty-cent  piece.  The  attorney  was  obliged 
to  keep  his  word  and  take  the  case.  The  in- 
junction was  issued  restraining  the  oil  makers 
from  building  the  house  and  setting  up  the 
totem  pole.  The  potlatch,  however,  was  held. 

When  the  Juneau  Indians  arrived  in  their 
canoes  off  the  shore  the  chief  stood  up  and 
chanted  their  traditions  to  prove  that  they  be- 
longed to  the  Frog  clan  and  were  rightfully  in- 
vited. When  he  had  finished  the  leaders  of  the 
Klukwahuttes,  who  were  standing  on  the  beach, 
recited  their  traditions  to  prove  that  they  and 
not  the  Kletwantans  were  the  true  Frogs.  The 
Klukwahuttes,  however,  made  no  disturbance 
during  the  feast.  Later  the  Kletwantans  em- 
ployed a  young  Boston  lawyer  who  was  stop- 
ping at  Sitka  and  sued  the  Klukwahuttes  for 
damages.  Not  wishing  to  be  outdone  by  the  ar- 
istocratic Klukwahuttes,  they  at  once  paid  their 
lawyer  a  retainer  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  dol- 
lars. There  the  case  rests.  The  lawyers  are 
trying  to  settle  it  out  of  court. 

On  an  eminence  which  commands  a  fine  view 
of  the  harbor  and  the  town,  stood  the  Baranhoff 
castle,  which  was  burned  a  few  years  ago.  It 


Sitka  1 1 1 

did  not  in  the  least  resemble  a  castle.  The  pic- 
ture makes  it  look  like  an  old  country  inn.  The 
ruins  are  still  visible  and  the  two  flights  of  steps 
leading  to  it  still  exist.  Around  this  historic 
ground  cluster  the  scenes  and  incidents  of  the 
past  century.  The  castle,  like  the  island  on 
which  it  stood,  took  its  name  from  the  Russian 
governor,  Baranhoff,  who  in  the  early  part  of 
the  century  ruled  the  people  with  an  iron  hand, 
beginning  with  the  knout  and  ending  with  the 
ax. 

Not  one  of  the  intrepid  Muscovites  who 
landed  here  in  1741  were  left  to  tell  the  tale  of 
their  capture  and  execution  by  the  native  Sit- 
kans.  In  1800  another  party  arrived  and  placed 
themselves  under  the  protection  of  the  Arch- 
angel Gabriel  instead  of  trusting  to  the  power 
of  gunpowder  and  stockades.  They  too  were 
massacred  and  their  homes  destroyed  by  fire. 
Baranhoff  was  at  once  sent  out  by  the  Russian 
government.  He  erected  the  castle  and  stock- 
ade, withdrew  the  town  from  the  protection  of 
Gabriel  and  placed  it  under  the  protection  of  the 
Archangel  Michael. 

This  old  castle  was  once  the  home  of  nobility 
and  the  scene  of  grand  festivities.  Here 
princes  and  princesses  of  the  blood  royal  ate 


112       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

their  caviare,  quaffed  their  vodka  and  meas- 
ured a  minuet.  It  was  in  this  old  castle  that 
Lady  Franklin  spent  three  weeks  twenty-five 
years  ago  when  in  search  of  her  husband,  Sir 
John.  It  was  here  that  W.  H.  Seward  spent 
several  days  when  on  a  trip  to  Alaska  after  its 
purchase  from  Russia,  through  the  sagacity  of 
himself  and  Charles  Sumner.  At  one  of  the 
windows  sat  the  beautiful  Princess  Maksoutoff 
weeping  bitter  tears  as  the  Russian  flag 
was  lowered  for  the  last  time.  On  the 
1 8th  of  October,  1867,  three  United  States 
warships  lay  at  anchor  in  the  bay.  They 
were  the  Ossipee,  Resaca  and  James- 
town, commanded  by  Captains  Emmons, 
Bradford  and  McDougal.  Each  vessel  was 
dressed  in  the  national  colors,  while  the  Russian 
soldiers,  citizens  and  Indians  assembled  upon 
the  open  space  at  the  foot  of  the  castle  carrying 
aloft  the  eagle  of  the  czar  of  all  the  Russias. 
At  a  given  signal  the  American  navy  fired  a 
salute  in  honor  of  the  Russian  flag,  which  was 
lowered  from  the  staff  on  the  castle.  After  a 
national  salute  from  the  Russian  garrison  in 
honor  of  our  flag,  the  stars  and  stripes  were 
hoisted  to  the  top  of  the  old  flag  staff. 

The  Russian  parade  ground  has  been  con- 


RAPIDS,  INDIAN  RIVER,  SITKA. 


UNIVERSITY 

OF 


Sitka  1 1  3 

verted  into  a  base  ball  ground,  where  Indian 
and  white  teams  contest  for  honors. 

The  native  races  of  Alaska  are  slowly  dying 
out.  The  bright  light  of  civilization  is  always 
the  death  doom  of  savagism. 

The  most  beautiful  natural  park  in  the  world 
lies  just  above  Sitka,  on  the  banks  of  the  Indian 
River,  which  rises  in  the  valley  between  the 
mountains  and  winding  down,  empties  into  the 
Sea. 

Here  are  the  greenest  of  pines,  cedars  and 
firs.  The  grasses  and  mosses  are  the  brilliant 
green  of  the  tropics.  A  neat  suspension  foot 
bridge  swings  clear  of  the  water  from  buttress 
to  buttress.  The  shallow,  murmuring,  sparkling 
water  bathes  the  brown  roots  of  shrubs  and 
trees.  Great  cedars  lie  prostrate,  covered  with 
short  green  moss.  Giant  firs  are  draped  with  a 
delicate  sea  green  moss,  which  hangs  in  festoons 
and  pendants  from  branch,  limb  and  trunk.  The 
pine  tops  sigh  softly  the  music  of  the  seas. 

Sunny  banks  are  yellow  with  the  familiar 
cinquefoil,  the  blossoms  of  which  are  five 
or  six  times  as  large  as  they  are  at  home.  In 
open  glades  the  ground  is  white  with  Cornells, 
and  tiny  dogwood  shrub  growing  from  two 
to  five  inches  high.  The  wild  purple  geranium 


ii4      A  Pacific  Coa<t  Vacation 

brightens  sunny  glades,  while  the  mountain 
spiraea,  the  most  beautiful  of  all  spiraeas,  bends 
and  sways  in  the  breeze. 

Thickets  of  salmon  berry  and  wonderful 
mazes  of  strange  ferns  meet  one  at  every  turn. 
One  of  the  handsomest  bushes  in  the  park  is  the 
magnificent  Devil's  Club.  There  are  great 
thickets  of  them  twenty  feet  high  casting  an  en- 
ticing but  dangerous  shade.  The  dainty  green 
leaves,  as  large  as  dinner  plates,  rear  their  heads 
aloft,  umbrella-like.  The  stems,  limbs,  and 
trunk  are  covered  with  thousands  of  tiny  pois- 
onous prickles,  which  work  deep  into  the  flesh, 
making  ugly  sores. 

Down  on  the  beach  are  the  graves  of  Lisian- 
sky's  men,  who  were  killed  by  ambuscaded  In- 
dians while  taking  water  for  their  ship,  in  1804. 

Friday  evening  we  weighed  anchor  and 
steamed  out  of  the  harbor.  The  beautiful  bay, 
with  its  beautiful  islands,  slowly  receded  from 
view  and  we  bade  farewell  to  the  historic  old 
town  of  Sitka. 

Hamerton,  in  his  charming  work  on  Land- 
scape, says  :  "  There  are,  I  believe,  four  new  ex- 
periences for  which  no  description  however  ade- 
quately prepares  us,  the  first  sight  of  the  sea, 
the  first  journey  in  the  desert,  the  sight  of  flow- 


Sitka  1 1 5 

ing  molten  lava,  and  a  walk  on  a  great  glacier. 
We  feel  in  each  case  that  the  strange  thing  is 
pure  nature,  as  much  nature  as  a  familiar 
English  moor,  yet  so  extraordinary  that  we 
might  be  in  another  planet." 

I  would  add  a  fifth,  sunset  at  sea.  Earth 
holds  nothing  more  fair,  nothing  more  beautiful 
than  sunshine. 

A  little  while  ago  the  sky  was  blue,  flaked 
with  fleecy  white  clouds,  the  snows  on  the  coast 
range  lay  sparkling  like  diamonds  in  the  sun, 
the  forest  lay  dark  and  green  on  the  mountain- 
side, the  sea  gray  and  blue  by  turns ;  but  now  a 
change  comes  over  nature's  moods,  the  clouds 
glow,  the  snows  take  on  brilliant  hues,  the  dark 
old  forest  grows  darker,  the  sea  shimmers  and 
sparkles,  a  flaming  molten  mass. 

The  imperial  sunset  throws  its  red  flame  afar, 
'till  the  land,  the  sea,  the  mountains,  the  sky, 
the  very  air  it  incarnadines  in  one  grand  flame 
of  scarlet.  Long,  long  will  the  beholder  remem- 
ber that  glorious  sunset  at  Sitka. 


CHAPTER  IX 

ALASKA 

A  FRIEND  of  the  writer  who  owns  mines  at 
Cook's  Inlet  thus  describes  his  voyage  north 
along  the  coast  to  Unalaska: 

We  were  now  aboard  the  Excelsior.  About 
noon  the  next  day  we  put  out  to  sea  and  saw  no 
more  island  passages  such  as  we  had  seen  while 
aboard  the  Queen. 

Our  first  stop  was  at  Yakutat,  an  Indian  vil- 
lage on  the  Yakutat  Bay.  This  bay  is  only  an 
indentation  of  the  coast,  curving  inward  for 
about  twenty  miles.  The  whole  force  of  the 
Pacific  sweeps  into  it.  Landing  is  both  diffi- 
cult and  dangerous.  In  the  bay  are  always  many 
icebergs  from  the  glaciers  at  its  head. 

Great  excitement  prevailed  here  in  1880 
when  gold  was  discovered  in  the  black  sand 
beaches.  The  rotary  hand  amalgamators  were 
used  and  as  much  as  forty  dollars  per  day  to 
the  man  was  often  realized.  The  miners,  how- 
ever, had  reckoned  without  their  host;  the 

116 


Alaska  117 

Yakutat  chief,  who  suddenly  developed  finan- 
cial ability  worthy  of  his  white  brother,  ex- 
acted licenses  and  royalties  from  the  miners. 

This  black  sand  mine  was  not  yet  exhausted 
when  a  tidal  wave  heaped  the  coast  with  fish. 
These  decayed  in  the  hot  sun  and  the  oil  soaked 
down  into  the  sand.  The  mercury  would  not 
work  and  the  miners  moved  to  a  new  beach,  but 
again  a  tidal  wave  ruined  the  mines  by  washing 
all  the  black  sand  out  to  sea.  Yakutat  was  then 
deserted  by  the  miners.  The  Indian  women  of 
this  village  are  the  finest  basket  weavers  in 
Alaska. 

Soon  after  leaving  Yakutat  we  sighted  Mt. 
St.  Elias  and  the  Malispania  glacier.  The  In- 
dians call  it  Bolshoi  Shopka — great  one.  This 
snow-clad  mountain,  nearly  four  miles  high, 
beautiful  as  Valaskjalf,  the  silver  roofed  man- 
sion of  Odin,  is  a  most  magnificent  sight.  Such 
grandeur,  such  solidity,  such  poetry  of  color, — 
the  white  peak  kisses  the  blue  heaven, — such 
solitude.  Like  the  golden  few  of  earth's  great 
ones,  it  stands  alone,  isolated  by  its  very  great- 
ness. 

The  Malispania  glacier  which  flows  down 
from  a  great  neve  field  in  the  mountains,  is  said 
to  be  the  largest  glacier  in  the  world.  It  is 


1 1 8       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

nearly  one  hundred  miles  long  and  thirty-five 
miles  wide  where  it  pours  into  the  sea,  and  rises 
four  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  tide  water. 

Orca,  on  the  shore  of  Prince  William's 
Sound,  lies  snuggled  up  under  the  rugged  cliffs, 
which  rise  sheer  thousands  of  feet  high.  From 
the  woods  beyond  a  noisy  river  goes  leaping 
down  the  rocks  to  the  sea,  where  its  power  is 
chained  to  run  the  machinery  of  a  cannery.  That 
other  Orca  was  a  powerful  sea  dragon,  espe- 
cially fond  of  a  seal  diet,  but  this  Orca  preys 
only  on  the  salmon. 

Our  next  stop  was  at  Valdes,  where  two  years 
ago  two  thousand  miners  started  for  Copper 
River,  to  prospect  for  gold,  but  they  were 
doomed  to  disappointment,  as  yet  no  gold  has 
been  discovered  on  this  river.  Many  and  sad 
are  the  tales  of  hardships  endured  by  these 
miners.  Some  worked  their  way  up  the  Copper 
River  and  down  Tanana  River  to  the  Yukon, 
but  by  far  the  greater  number  returned  to  Val- 
des destitute.  Many  of  the  miners  lost  their 
lives  on  the  Valdes'  glacier.  In  going  to  Cop- 
per River  they  had  to  travel  eighteen  miles 
across  this  treacherous  glacier.  Nine  men  lost 
their  lives  here  last  winter. 


WHERE  WHALES  AND  PORPOISES  POKE  THEIR  NOSES  UP 
THROUGH  THE  BRINE. 


Alaska  119 

At  Valdes  is  located  a  government  expedition 
under  the  command  of  Captain  Ambercrombie. 
The  object  of  this  expedition  is  to  study  the 
topography  of  the  country  and  to  make  surveys. 
The  government  is  doing  much  to  aid  stranded 
miners  to  reach  Seattle.  For  thirty  days'  work 
they  are  paid  five  dollars  and  given  a  free  pas- 
sage to  that  city. 

Prince  William  Sound  is  a  fine  body  of  water. 
It  is  almost  surrounded  by  land.  Abrupt  moun- 
tains rise  seemingly  out  of  the  sea.  It  is  deeply 
indented  by  fiords  and  inlets  running  back  from 
ten  to  twenty-five  miles.  On  the  south  it  is 
protected  by  mountainous  islands.  In  coming 
out  of  this  sound  we  passed  around  Mummy 
Point,  into  the  ocean.  Presently  we  came  to 
the  Seal  Rocks.  They  were  alive  with  seals. 
When  the  engineer  blew  the  whistle  they  went 
plunging  into  the  sea,  making  a  great  splash. 
Whales  and  porpoises  bob  their  noses  up 
through  the  brine — descendants,  no  doubt,  of 
that  gallant  crew  of  Tyrrhenian  mariners 
changed  by  angry  Bacchus  to  dolphins  in  that 
dusky  old  time  when  the  gods  held  sway  over 
nature's  forces. 

From  here  to  Cook's  Inlet  we  had  rough  sail- 


I2O       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

ing.  Neptune  was  out  on  a  lark.  We  realized 
fully  that  he  was  king  of  the  sea  and  that  we 
were  his  timid  subjects. 

The  crowning  glory  of  Alaska's  natural  at- 
tractions is  Cook's  Inlet.  Sheltered  by  a  great 
mountain  wall  on  the  west,  its  shores  enjoy  de- 
lightful summer  weather.  Only  the  pen  of  a 
Milton  or  the  matchless  brush  of  a  Turner 
could  paint  this  fair  empire  of  earth,  sea  and 
air.  Glacier  after  glacier,  frozen  to  the  cold 
breast  of  the  mountains,  lay  glistening  in  the 
sunshine.  The  finest  waterfalls  in  Alaska  leap 
from  rugged  cliffs  and  go  singing  to  the  sea. 

A  grand  panorama  of  snowy  peaks,  smoking 
volcanoes,  forested  slopes,  grassy  glades  bright 
with  flowers  and  fertile  valleys,  lend  enchant- 
ment to  this  wild  Arcadia  of  the  North.  Goethe 
truly  says :  "  Him  whom  the  gods  true  art 
would  teach,  they  send  out  into  the  mighty 
world." 

Moose  graze  in  the  open  glades,  mountain 
goat  and  sheep  leap  from  cliff  to  rock  and  away. 
Extensive  level  plateaus  line  both  shores  of  the 
inlet,  which  will  make  fine  grazing  country  some 
day  in  the  near  future.  The  grass  grows  luxur- 
iantly and  in  many  places  reaches  a  height  of 
six  feet.  We  traveled  up  the  inlet  seventy 


Alaska  1 2 1 

miles  to  a  branch  of  the  inlet  known  as  the 
Turnagain  Arm,  which  is  from  five  to  eight 
miles  wide  and  enclosed  by  high  mountains. 
These  mountains  are  covered  with  timber  at  the 
base.  Tall  grass  covers  the  mountain  side  to 
the  height  of  three  thousand  feet,  sweet  grass 
for  all  the  flocks  of  some  future  Pan. 

We  landed  at  Sunrise,  which  is  the  largest 
city  on  the  inlet.  It  has  a  population  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty,  mostly  miners.  Hope,  twelve 
miles  away,  has  a  population  of  seventy-five 
miners.  Fine  vegetables  grow  here.  A  store- 
keeper has  a  small  garden.  His  potatoes  are 
as  fine  as  any  grown  in  the  states,  some  weigh- 
ing one  and  one-half  pounds.  He  has  cabbages 
weighing  seven  pounds,  and  turnips  weighing 
eleven  pounds.  Beets,  peas  and  other  vegeta- 
bles are  as  fine  as  grown  anywhere.  People 
who  have  lived  here  during  the  winters  say  that 
the  temperature  rarely  falls  twenty  degrees  be- 
low zero,  and  that  the  winters  are  dry  and  with- 
out blizzards. 

Moose,  mountain  goat  and  wild  sheep  fur- 
nish the  towns  and  camps  with  meat,  which  is 
usually  bought  from  the  Indians,  who  are  good 
hunters,  but  very  superstitious.  They  are  afraid 
of  a  giant  who,  Odin  like,  rides  from  mountain 


122       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

to  mountain  on  the  wind,  killing  every  Indian 
whom  he  finds  traveling  alone.  White  men 
don't  count,  so  if  you  wish  to  employ  a  guide 
to  accompany  you  on  a  hunting  expedition  you 
must  also  employ  a  brother  Indian  to  protect 
him,  or  he  "  no  go/' 

Farther  south  along  the  coast  a  black  dwarf 
haunts  the  mountains,  making  life  miserable 
for  lone  Indians.  His  arrows,  like  the  magical 
spear  of  Odin,  never  miss  their  mark. 

In  the  mountains  north  and  west  of  the  inlet 
a  giant  floats  his  birch  canoe  on  the  wind,  from 
peak  to  peak,  seeking  lone  Indians,  whom  he 
slays  with  the  canoe  paddles.  This  wonderful 
canoe,  like  that  good  ship  of  Frey,  always  gets 
a  fair  wind,  no  matter  for  what  port  its  oars- 
man is  bound. 

This  portion  of  the  inlet,  Turnagain  Arm,  is 
a  treacherous  bit  of  water.  The  highest  tides 
rise  fifty  feet.  Then  there  is  the  boer,  which 
runs  up  just  as  the  tide  comes  in,  rising  eighteen 
to  twenty  feet  perpendicularly. 

No  boat  can  live  in  it.  The  tide  usually  comes 
in  three  great  waves,  one  right  after  the  other. 
The  water  is  thick  with  mud,  ground  up  by  the 
glaciers  at  the  head  of  the  Arm  and  brought 
down  by  the  streams. 


Alaska  123 

There  will  be  some  good  placer  mines  in 
Cook's  Inlet  when  the  country  is  properly 
opened,  but  it  has  hardly  been  prospected 
as  yet,  owing  to  the  difficulty  in  sinking  shafts 
to  bed  rock  on  account  of  the  water  coming  in 
so  rapidly.  It  is  necessary  to  go  through  bed 
rock  to  the  glacier  channels  below  for  the  main 
deposits  of  gold. 

By  timbering  the  shafts  the  water  may  be 
kept  out.  The  soil  and  gravel  taken  out  of  a 
shaft  which  has  just  been  sunk  averages  only 
twenty-five  cents  per  cubic  yard,  but  the  owners 
intend  to  go  through  the  rock  to  the  channels 
below,  where  they  expect  to  strike  a  rich  vein, 
make  their  fortunes  and  return  to  civilization. 

There  is  usually  a  light  freeze  about  the  mid- 
dle of  September,  after  which  the  weather  is 
fine  until  the  last  of  November. 

The  king  of  volcanoes  in  this  region  is 
Ilamna.  Steam  and  smoke  issue  from  two 
craters  at  the  summit  of  the  snow-clad  moun- 
tain. During  an  eruption  this  giant  shakes  the 
earth  to  its  very  center. 

This  wonderful  estuary  was  discovered  by 
Captain  Cook,  on  the  natal  day  of  Princess 
Elizabeth,  May  21,  17/8.  He  took  possession 
in  the  name  of  her  majesty,  and  buried  his 


1 24         A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

records  in  a  bottle  at  Possession  Point.  Van- 
couver searched  for  these  records  in  vain. 

Tramways,  stone  piers  and  decaying  build- 
ings speak  in  unmistakable  language  of  busy 
scenes  during  Russian  occupation. 

Five  hundred  miles  west  of  Sitka,  on  the 
shore  of  Kadiak,  one  of  the  emerald  isles  of  the 
Alaskan  coast,  is  St.  Paul,  the  first  capital  of 
Alaska,  and  the  center  of  the  fur  trade  estab- 
lished by  Shelikoff  and  Baranhoff. 

The  natives  say  that  many  summers  ago  the 
Kadiak  Islands  were  separated  from  the  main- 
land by  a  very  narrow  channel.  One  day  a  big 
otter  attempting  to  swim  through  was  caught 
fast.  He  struggled  until  he  widened  the  Sheli- 
koff Strait,  when  he  swam  triumphantly 
through.  A  bad  Indian  and  his  dog  sent  adrift 
on  a  big  stone  turned  into  the  largest  Kadiak, 
on  the  shore  of  which  St.  Paul  is  located.  The 
Kadiakers  are  descended  from  the  daughter  of 
a  great  chief  of  the  north,  who,  with  her  hus- 
band and  dogs,  was  banished  from  her  father's 
lodge. 

The  forest  on  these  islands  consists  of  a  few 
scattered  groves.  The  grass,  shrubs  and  mosses 
bathed  in  a  perpetual  fog  are  so  brilliantly  green 
as  to  dazzle  the  eye. 


Alaska  125 

The  dug-out  canoe  disappears  here  and  boats 
of  sea  lion  and  walrus  skins  stretched  over 
frames  of  drift  wood  lightly  skim  the  blue 
waters  of  the  cold  sea. 

As  we  steam  along  through  sunshine  and  fog, 
past  glaciers,  mountains  and  fiords,  "  so  wide 
the  loneliness,  so  lucid  the  air,"  we  are  reminded 
that  the  Ancient  Mariner  sailed  the  blue  Pacific. 
Now  the  sun  drops  into  the  sea,  lighting  it  up 
with  a  luminous  glow.  With  a  tremor  and  a 
sparkle  the  purple  waves  glimmer  red,  now 
shadow  to  a  violet  hue,  and  now  to  a  crimson 
blue. 

"  Tries  one,  tries  all,  and  will  not  stay 
But  flits  from  opal  hue  to  hue." 

The  volcanoes  of  Alaska!  What  a  grand, 
what  a  wonderful  panorama,  as  if  you  had  rub- 
bed Aladdin's  lamp.  Expectation  stood  in  awe 
when  this  giant  upheaval  was  in  progress.  En- 
wrapped always  in  the  mellow  haze  of  white 
smoke  and  Hue  atmosphere,  the  cold  clouds 
kissing  their  white  brows,  these  sentinels  old, 
like  Wordsworth  mountain,  "look  familiar  with 
forgotten  years." 

.The  prince  of  them  all,  Shishaldin,  rises  nine 
thousand  feet,  trailing  his  white  robes  in  the 
blue  sea. 


i  26      A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

The  seventy  islands  of  the  Aleutian  chain  lie 
along  the  coast  for  thousands  of  miles.  These 
islands  are  treeless,  but  green  with  Arctic 
grasses  and  mosses.  • 

At  Unalaska  the  Russians  have  a  nicely  built 
church.  These  Greek  churches  have  no  pews, 
the  congregation  standing  and  kneeling  during 
the  service.  The  priest  in  charge  of  this  church 
speaks  no  English.  These  churches  all  pay  an 
annual  tribute  to  the  patriarch  in  Moscow.  This 
is  all  un-American.  The  Mary  Lee  Home,  a 
Methodist  mission,  has  a  small  school  here. 

The  Aleuts,  a  kind,  gentle  people,  suffered 
much  at  the  hands  of  their  Russian  masters  in 
the  past.  The  Aleuts  living  in  sod  huts  are 
the  Crofters  of  America. 

The  fine  flower  of  the  fauna  of  Alaska  is 
found  in  the  valley  of  the  Koyukuk  River.  Here 
tusks  and  bones  of  mastodons  are  found  im- 
bedded in  the  sand  banks  and  gravel  bars. 

Since  the  discovery  of  gold  in  Alaska  the  In- 
dians have  saved  many  lives.  Born  and  reared 
amidst  these  wild  surroundings,  where  winter 
white  and  hoary  stands  ever  at  the  gate  of  the 
North,  wagging  his  shaggy  beard,  they  have 
partaken  of  the  very  nature  of  their  own  rugged 
mountains.  The  long  Arctic  nights  and  the  in- 


Alaska  1 27 

tense  cold  have  given  these  people  hearts  of  steel 
and  muscles  of  iron. 

Are  you  ill  ?  Are  you  starving  ?  No  moun- 
tain is  too  high,  no  snow  too  deep,  but  one  of 
these  heroes  will  climb  the  one  or  plunge  un- 
dauntedly through  the  other  to  bring  you  suc- 
cor. 

In  the  chilly  Arctic  sea  there  lies  a  mysterious 
island,  the  home  of  the  ice  goblin,  who  kicked 
it  loose  from,  no  one  knows  where,  so  the  leg- 
end runs,  and  towed  it  to  its  present  location. 

Its  mountains  are  the  highest,  its  gorges  the 
deepest,  and  its  fields  and  fiords  the  grandest  in 
the  world. 

It  was  a  most  magnificent  island  before  the 
goblin  stole  it  and  dragged  it  away  into  the 
great  ice  fields  of  the  North.  It  was  clothed 
in  rich  verdure.  Birds  sang,  flowers  bloomed, 
and  gay  butterflies  hovered  over  them. 

This  was  not  at  all  to  the  goblin's  taste,  so 
he  threw  a  sheet  of  ice  over  mountain,  field  and 
fiord.  In  his  ice  castle  on  the  summit  of  the 
loftiest  peak  reigns  the  great  ice  goblin,  send- 
ing out  storms  over  sea  and  land,  and  pouring 
ice,  snow  and  glaciers  down  over  the  island  to 
his  heart's  content. 

In  the  Arctic  region  a  dark  cloud  called  the 


ia8       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

"  loom  of  the  water  "  overhangs  where  ever 
there  is  clear  water. 

The  Arctic  sea!  The  land  of  the  midnight 
sun!  What  a  fascinating  subject!  What  an 
inexhaustible  field  for  those  three  happy  broth- 
ers, the  poet,  the  painter  and  the  scientist !  The 
land  of  jotums,  penguins  and  ice  packs.  The 
land  where  night  kisses  morning.  The  realm 
of  bright-haired  Aurora  and  sable-robed  Niobe. 

Returning  along  the  self  same  route  the  mind 
never  tires  nor  the  eye  wearies  of  the  matchless 
scenery.  Like  a  moving  panorama,  grand, 
austere,  majestic,  sublime.  Here  reigns  Vidar, 
the  god  of  silence. 

Magnificent  fiords  indent  the  coast.  The 
dark  mountains  rise  to  a  vast  height,  their  snow 
crowned  peaks  standing  out  clear  and  sharp 
against  the  blue  sky. 

Glaciers  like  huge  giants  clasp  the  mountains 
in  their  frosty  arms,  while  their  tears  course 
down  the  mountain's  weather-beaten  cheek. 

Here  and  there  a  fleecy  white  cloud  envelopes 
the  summit  of  a  mountain.  A  silvery  thread 
comes  creeping  out  over  the  rocks,  loses  itself 
in  the  pine  forest  on  the  slopes,  emerges  and 
with  a  boundless  sweep  plunges  into  the  ocean. 

All  this  wild  scenery  from  base  to  peak  stands 
mirrored  in  the  sea-green  water  of  the  fiord. 


CHAPTER  X 

FAREWELL  TO  SKAGWAY 

AT  Skagway  quite  a  number  of  miners  came 
on  board,  bound  for  home.  One  hears  from 
them  many  sad  tales  of  the  Klondike.  One  man 
aboard  is  dying  of  consumption  and  scurvy, 
contracted  in  the  mining  region.  A  purse  is 
being  made  up  to  enable  him  to  reach  his  home 
in  Toronto,  Canada.  He  hopes  to  live  to  see  his 
wife  and  child.  An  impromptu  entertainment 
in  the  salon  netted  one  hundred  and  fifty  dol- 
lars for  the  sick  miner. 

Another  tale  not  quite  so  pathetic  is  that  of 
Mike  McCarty,  of  San  Francisco.  He  bought 
a  claim  and  paid  all  the  money  he  possessed  for 
it.  When  he  went  to  have  the  lease  recorded 
he  was  told  that  it  was  not  legal,  that  the  prop- 
erty was  not  his,  but  still  belonged  to  theQueen. 
"  Damn  the  Quane,"  said  Mike,  "  I  bought  it 
and  paid  me  money  for  it.  The  Quane  has  noth- 
ing to  do  with  it  at  all."  Then  he  was  informed 
that  some  one  had  sold  the  claim  to  him  under 
129 


130       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

false  pretense  and  besides  losing  it  he  would  get 
three  months'  imprisonment  for  insulting  the 
Queen.  "  Faith  and  how  could  I  insult  the 
Quane  when  I  niver  see  her?"  queried  Mike. 
"  All  right/'  said  the  magistrate,  "  you  go  up 
for  three  months  and  the  claim  still  belongs  to 
the  Queen."  "  Damn  the  Quane,"  said  Mike, 
as  he  was  taken  away  to  his  cell.  Mr.  McCarty 
is  on  his  way  home,  a  ragged,  penniless  but,  a 
wiser  man. 

These  miners  are  bringing  down  a  great  deal 
of  gold.  One  man  who  has  made  sixty-five 
thousand  dollars  in  mining  is  taking  two  chil- 
dren to  Seattle  to  be  educated. 

One  lady  has  her  bustle  stuffed  with  paper 
money,  another  her  dress  skirt  interlined  with 
five  and  ten  dollar  bills. 

Gold  may  be  converted  into  paper  money  in 
Dawson  City  at  the  rate  of  fifteen  dollars  per 
ounce.  Its  actual  value  runs  from  sixteen  to 
eighteen  dollars  per  ounce. 

Living  is  quite  high  at  Dawson,  owing  to  the 
long  distance  over  which  freight  must  be  car- 
ried. Coal  oil  sells  at  seven  dollars  for  a  five- 
gallon  can,  bread  at  fifty  cents  a  loaf,  beefsteak 
at  two  dollars  a  pound,  candles  at  one  dollar 
each.  This  is  an  item  in  household  expenses,  as 
during  the  winter  months  it  is  twilight  only 


Farewell  to  Skagway          131 

from  eleven  o'clock  in  the  morning  to  two 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  Candles  are  used  for 
lights  in  the  mines. 

There  is  plenty  of  gold  in  Alaska,  but  one 
must  go  equipped  to  withstand  the  winters  and 
prepared  to  work  his  claim  properly.  Mining 
in  Colorado  and  California  is  not  mining  in  the 
Klondike.  For  various  reasons  mining  in  the 
Klondike  is  much  more  expensive  than  in  either 
of  the  other  places.  The  British  mounted  po- 
lice are  very  vigilant,  so  that  miners  lose  but 
little  by  thieving. 

We  arrived  at  Juneau  at  eleven  o'clock  at 
night.  The  sun  having  just  set  it  was  still 
daylight.  Nearly  the  entire  population  was  at 
the  wharf,  eager  to  learn  the  news  of  the  outside 
world.  We  repaired  to  the  opera  house,  where 
we  attended  an  impromptu  political  meeting. 
The  mayor  presided  and  Judge  Delany,  judge 
of  Alaska  under  Cleveland,  set  forth  in  a  forci- 
ble manner  the  needs  of  Alaska.  The  speaker 
said  that  this  rapidly  growing  child  seemed  to 
be  somewhat  neglected  by  legislators,  mainly 
because  Congress  does  not  know  her  needs. 
"  First  of  all,"  said  he,  "  we  want  the  boundary 
line  settled.  We  want  every  foot  of  land  called 
for  in  our  treaty  with  Russia  in  1867.  Until 


132       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

the  discovery  of  gold  in  the  Klondike  England 
had  never  questioned  her  treaty  made  with 
Russia  in  1825.  But  when  gold  is  discovered 
up  comes  England  and  plants  her  flags  on  our 
territory.  Our  government  sent  out  troops  and 
forced  them  back  to  the  original  line.  Now  let 
Congress  settle  it  once  for  all.  It  interferes 
with  business  and  until  this  question  is  settled 
we  don't  know  where  we  are  '  at.'  Next  we 
want  better  school  facilities.  In  Juneau  we 
have  two  hundred  and  forty  children  of 
school  age  and  room  for  only  forty.  This 
state  of  things  exists  all  over  Alaska. 
If  Congress  will  give  us  half  as  much 
attention  as  is  bestowed  on  the  seal  we  promise 
to  ask  no  more.  We  want  some  sort  of  govern- 
ment. We  have  no  government  and  are  not 
represented  in  Congress.  Next  we  want  more 
judges  and  more  courts,  instead  of  one  judge 
and  one  district  as  now.  We  think  that  Alaska 
should  be  divided  into  three  districts." 

Congressmen  Warner,  Dazill,  Payne  and 
Hull  replied  in  short  speeches  and  the  meeting 
adjourned  just  at  dawn,  one  o'clock.  The  opera 
house  is  lighted  with  electric  lights  and  heated 
with  a  furnace.  It  has  a  parquet,  dress  circle  and 


STEAMER  QUEEN  LEAVING  JUNEAU, 


Farewell  to  Skagway  133 

boxes,  and  is  a  model  from  an  architectural 
point  of  view.  The  acoustic  properties  of  the 
hall  are  beyond  criticism. 

Leaving  Juneau  to  carry  on  the  struggle  of 
leading  Alaska  to  statehood,  we  board  our  good 
ship,  the  Queen,  weigh  anchor,  and  sail  away. 

The  upper  deck  is  the  salon,  the  reception 
hall,  the  library.  Here  we  leave  our  steamer 
rugs  and  chairs.  Here  we  come  for  a  better 
view  of  the  mountains  and  the  sea.  Here  we 
meet  our  friends.  Here  we  may  take  a  book 
and,  snugly  ensconced,  pass  a  quiet  hour.  Many 
of  us,  however,  found  it  difficult  to  read  a  single 
line  or  to  enjoy  our  rugs  and  chairs  for  long  at 
a  time,  for  just  as  your  companion  has  tucked 
you  all  snugly  in,  exclamations  of  surprise  and 
delight  from  some  other  part  of  the  vessel  lures 
you  away,  as  the  ship  turns  her  prow  this  way 
and  that,  now  steaming  straight  ahead,  as  if  she 
meant  to  knock  that  mountain  from  its  seat, 
and  now  quickly  changing  her  course,  giving 
us  a  magnificent  view  down  a  fiord. 

Everyone  is  reading  "  David  Harum,"  and 
their  comments  are  quite  as  interesting  as  the 
book  itself. 

Sweet  Sixteen — "  O,  I  do  just  love  John  and 


134       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

Mary,  but  that  stupid  old  David  is  so  tire- 
some/' 

A  critic — "  Literature,  indeed.  Where's  the 
plot?  You  couldn't  find  it  with  a  telescope/' 

A  judge — "  Served  his  good-for-nothing 
brother  just  right/' 

Pious  looking  old  gentleman — "  Good  man, 
David,  but  he  lacked  religion/' 

Business  man — "  Too  soft  hearted;  ought  to 
have  kicked  that  idiot  Timson  out  long  before 
he  did/5 

An  old  farmer  lays  down  the  book  and  laughs 
until  the  tears  roll  down  his  weather-beaten 
cheeks.  "  Now,  there's  a  man  as  is  a  man. 
Knows  all  about  farmin'  and  tradin'  horses, 
he,  he;  traded  horses  myself,  he,  he,  he;  best 
book  ever  read,  he, --he,  he." 

The  first  interesting  sight  to  greet  us  on  our 
way  south  was  a  group  of  small  rocky  islands, 
where  more  than  a  hundred  eagles  were  fishing. 
Out  they  would  fly  by  twos  and  threes,  seize  a 
fish  in  their  talons,  return  to  the  rocks  and  pro- 
ceed to  eat  him. 

From  Dixon's  Entrance  to  Milbank  Sound 
lie  the  Alps  of  America,  a  double  panorama  of 
unbroken  beauty  two  hundred  miles  in  length. 
Green  slopes  reflected  in  greener  waters.  The 


ALPS  OF  AMERICA, 


Farewell  to  Skagway  135 

shores  rise  perpendicularly  from  a  thousand 
to  fifteen  hundred  feet,  above  which  snow-clad 
mountains  rise  as  high  again.  Tall  trees  climb 
and  cling  to  these  rocky  walls  like  vines  and 
cascades  come  gliding  out  from  snowbanks  and 
go  hurrying  and  singing  to  the  sea,  some  like 
delicate  silver  threads  winding  down,  others 
dashing  mountain  torrents. 

Late  in  the  evening  a  mist  Jotun  rose  out  of 
the  sea  and  enveloped  us,  and  the  ship  lay  at 
anchor  for  several  hours.  The  next  morning 
the  sun  shone  clear  and  bright.  The  clouds  lay 
on  the  water  like  a  veil  of  rare  old  lace  flecked 
with  pearls,  diamonds  and  sapphires,  caught  up 
here  and  there  by  unseen  hands  and  wreathed 
about  the  mountains'  snowy  brows. 

Scene  after  scene  of  wild  beauty  greets  the 
eye  at  every  turn  of  the  vessel's  prow.  Wild 
deer  and  fawn  come  down  to  the  water's  edge 
and  stand  gazing  at  our  ship.  We  ran  into  a 
school  of  whales  disporting  in  the  water  and 
scattered  them  right  and  left.  Flock  after  flock 
of  wild  ducks  skim  the  water,  to  light  in  yonder 
cove.  Flock  after  flock,  battalion  after  battal- 
ion of  wild  geese  swing  along  overhead,  led 
by  an  old  commodore,  giving  his  commands 
with  military  precision,  "  Honk,  honk,"  until 


136       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

the  very  air  quivers  with  their  joyous  shouts 
and  greetings.  The  cormorant  is  your  true 
diver.  Down  he  goes,  a  ripple,  and  the  water 
is  smooth  again.  While  you  are  lost  in  specula- 
tion as  to  where  he  will  reappear  up  he  comes 
in  some  placid  spot  away  beyond.  If  you  guess 
that  he  will  come  up  at  your  right  he  is  sure  to 
appear  much  further  to  your  left.  If  you  guess 
that  he  will  remain  under  water  two  minutes 
he  is  likely  to  remain  five.  In  fact  he  never 
does  the  thing  you  expect  of  him  at  all,  but  like 
Thoreau's  loon  on  Walden  pond,  he'll  lead  you 
a  merry  chase  if  you  board  your  canoe  and  at- 
tempt to  follow  him. 


CHAPTER  XI 

WASHINGTON  AND  OREGON 

SEATTLE  is  now  full  of  people  on  their  way 
to  Alaska,  principally  tourists,  as  the  miners  are 
now  all  coming  down  to  rest  or  visit  with  rela- 
tives and  to  make  preparations  to  return  to  the 
Klondike  for  the  winter.  Now  that  the  Yukon 
and  White  Pass  railroad  is  completed  over  the 
mountains  to  Lake  Bennett  the  trip  thus  far  is 
made  in  about  four  hours  which  formerly  re- 
quired four  weeks  over  a  rough,  rocky  moun- 
tain trail.  Freight  rates  are  much  cheaper 
than  when  the  Indians  carried  the  freight  over 
at  twenty-five  cents  per  pound.  Living  will  be 
cheaper  in  the  Klondike  and  more  mines  will 
be  worked.  Success  or  failure  waits  on  the 
mining  industry  as  well  as  every  other,  and  the 
man  who  would  succeed  in  the  field  must  study 
the  business  thoroughly.  , 

From  a  scientific  point  of  view  Alaska  is  cer- 
tainly a  wonderful  country.  From  the  point  of 
development  and  commerce  it  gives  promise  of 
137 


138       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

becoming  an  important  State.  The  possibilities 
in  the  way  of  development  of  its  mineral  re- 
sources and  fisheries  are  incalculable. 

Seattle  is  deeply  interested  in  the  boundary 
question.  This  city  conducts  the  bulk  of  the 
northwest  trade  to  Alaska  and  were  England 
given  a  port  at  Lynn  canal,  Seattle  would  feel 
it  keenly,  as  would  Washington  and  other 
Western  States.  Congressman  Warner  says 
we  have  nothing  to  concede  to  Great  Britain  in 
the  way  of  territory.  That  we  stand  on  the 
right  of  possession  acquired  by  the  Russian  pur- 
chase. England  is  anxious  indeed  to  lay  hands 
on  the  Porcupine  mining  district,  which  is  con- 
sidered as  rich  as  the  Klondike. 

Traveling  south  from  Seattle,  we  enter  the 
grazing  and  fruit-growing  district.  Cattle 
graze  on  the  hill-sides  while  the  fruit  farms 
occupy  a  more  level  tract.  The  fine  cherries, 
known  as  the  Rocky  Mountain  variety,  are  ripe 
now.  There  are  three  varieties;  the  sweet,  the 
sour  and  the  blood-red,  seen  in  our  market.  The 
currant  farms  are  of  equal  interest.  The  cur- 
rants too  are  ripe.  Boys  and  girls  are  employed 
as  pickers.  They  enjoy  the  work  and  consider 
it  great  sport.  The  luscious  fruit  is  placed  in 
baskets  and  carried  to  the  manager,  who  meas- 


Washington  and  Oregon          139 

tires  it  and  sets  down  the  amount  opposite  the 
picker's  name.  The  fruit  is  much  larger  and 
juicier  than  in  the  Eastern  States.  , 

Portland  is  the  center  of  the  hop  belt.  A  hop 
field  is  quite  as  interesting,  from  a  financial 
point  of  view,  as  a  field  of  broom-corn.  If  the 
crop  is  a  success  it  pays  and  pays  well,  but  if  a 
failure  from  blight  or  worm,  it  is  likely  to  bank- 
rupt the  owner.  So  you  see  that  a  hop  ranch 
is  an  interesting  speculation.  The  fields  them- 
selves are  beautiful,  indeed.  The  varied  shades 
of  green,  from  the  darker  hues  of  the  older 
leaves  to  the  delicate  sea  green  of  the  new  ten- 
drils as  they  wreathe  themselves  about  the  tall 
poles,  or  twine  about  the  wires  which  in  many 
fields  run  from  pole  to  pole,  forming  a  beautiful 
green  canopy  from  end  to  end  of  the  large  fields. 
Not  the  least  interesting  part  of  the  hop  ranches 
are  the  store  and  dry-houses.  The  hops  are 
dried  by  hot  air  process,  and  are  then  baled  and 
ready  for  shipment.  King  Revelry  holds  high 
carnival  in  the  hop  districts  when  the  hops  are 
ripe.  Everyone  looks  forward  to  this  harvest 
with  the  greatest  of  pleasure.  The  invalid,  be- 
cause he  would  be  healed  by  the  wonderful 
medicinal  qualities  of  the  hops ;  the  well  because 
he  would  have  an  outing  and  be  earning  good 


140       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

wages  at  the  same  time;  the  boys  and  girls,  be- 
cause it  is  their  annual  festival  of  frolic  and 
fun;  a  time  of  camp-fires,  ghost  stories  and 
witch  tales.  The  real  old-fashioned  kind  that 
chills  your  blood  and  makes  you  afraid  of  the 
dark  and  to  go  to  bed  lest  the  goblins  get  you 
"  ef  you  don't  watch  out/'  The  pickers  camp 
in  the  fields  and  along  the  road  sides.  The  hops 
are  picked  and  placed  in  trays.  Each  picker 
may  have  a  tray  to  himself  or  an  entire  family 
may  use  one  tray.  When  the  trays  are  full  they 
are  carried  to  the  warehouse  where  they  are 
weighed. 

Plank  roads  abound  in  Washington.  One- 
half  of  the  road  is  laid  down  in  a  plank  walk, 
which  is  used  when  the  roads  are  muddy,  so 
that  when  the  roads  dry  they  are  ready  to  travel 
without  that  wearing-down  process  which  is 
so  trying  to  the  nerves  of  both  man  and  beast. 

Oregon  is  the  most  important  state  in  the 
Union  from  an  Indian's  point  of  view,  for  it 
was  here  that  the  first  man  was  created.  It  is 
needless  to  say  that  he  was  a  red  man,  and  his 
Garden  of  Eden  was  at  the  foot  of  the  Cascade 
mountains.  That  was  long  before  the  bad 
Manitou  created  the  white  man. 

Portland  is  a  larger  city  than  Seattle.   There 


Washington  and  Oregon        141 

is  more  wealth  here  too.  This  city  is  the  outlet 
for  the  immense  crops  of  wheat  raised  in  south- 
ern Washington,  Oregon  and  Idaho.  The  fine 
peaches,  plums,  cherries,  currants  and  apples 
grown  here  find  their  way  to  eastern  markets. 
Wood  is  so  plentiful  and  cheap  here  that  every 
man  has  his  wood-pile.  (The  little  coal  used 
on  the  Pacific  coast  comes  from  Australia.) 
The  enterprising  wood  sawyer  rigs  a  small 
steam  saw  mill  on  a  wagon,  drives  up  to  your 
door  and  without  removing  the  mill  from  the 
wagon  saws  your  wood  while  you  wait. 

An  interesting  feature  of  river  life  in  Port- 
land is  the  houseboat,  moored  to  the  shore. 
Sometimes  they  are  floated  miles  down  the  river 
to  the  fishing  grounds.  Most  of  them  are  neat 
one-story  cottages  and  nicely  painted.  Nearly 
always  there  is  a  tiny  veranda  where  flowers  in 
pots  are  blooming. 

An  aged  couple  lives  in  a  tiny  houseboat, 
painted  white,  which  is  moored  apart  from 
the  others.  A  veranda  runs  across  the  front 
of  the  boat  and  there  are  shelves  on  either 
side  of  the  door.  They  have  a  fine  collection  of 
geraniums  and  just  now  the  entire  front  of 
their  water  home  is  aglow  with  the  blooms. 
Misfortune  overtook  these  people  and  they 


142       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

adopted  this  mode  of  life  because  of  its  cheap- 
ness. Another  boat  was  moored  under  the  lea 
of  the  steep  bank.  Up  the  side  of  the  bank  a 
path  led  to  the  top,  where  the  children  have 
built  a  small  pen  from  twigs  and  sticks.  Inside 
the  pen  are  five  fat  ducks,  a  pair  of  bantams  and 
a  pig. 

Portland  is  the  third  wealthiest  city  for  its 
size  in  the  world.  Frankfort  on  the  Main  takes 
first  rank  and  Hartford,  Conn.,  second.  The 
climate  is  delightful.  In  summer  the  average 
temperature  is  eighty,  with  always  a  cool  breeze 
blowing  from  the  sea  or  the  snow-capped  moun- 
tains. 

The  trip  up  the  Columbia  river  to  the  dalles  is 
a  continuous  panorama  of  beautiful  scenes.  On 
each  side  along  the  densely  wooded  shores  are 
low  green  islands.  Here  and  there  barren  rocks 
fifty  to  one  hundred  feet  high  stand,  sentinel 
like,  while  over  their  rugged  sides  pour  water- 
falls. Ruskin  says  that  "  mountains  are  the  be- 
ginning an$  the  end  of  all  natural  scenery." 
This  wonderful  river  inspired  Bryant's 
"  Where  rolls  the  Oregon/'  Oregon  being  the 
former  name  of  this  river — the  Indian  name. 

James  Brice  paid  a  tribute  of  admiration  to 
the  superb  extinct  volcanos,  bearing  snow 


GOVERNMENT  LOCKS  ON  THE  COLUMBIA  RIVER. 


*^&j*u^$£^ 

/       ^     OF  THE 

1    UNIVERSITY 

OF 


Washington  and  Oregon        143 

fields  and  glaciers  which  rise  out  of  the  vast 
and  somber  forest  on  the  banks  of  the  Colum- 
bia river  and  the  shores  of  Puget  Sound.  The 
Oregon  chain  of  mountains  from  Shasta  to 
Mount  Tacoma  is  a  line  of  extinct  volcanos. 
A  peculiar  basaltic  formation  three  hundred 
feet  high  stands  at  the  gateway  to  the  white 
capped  Cascades  of  the  Columbia  river.  Here 
a  Lorelei  might  sit  enthroned  and  lure  to  death 
with  her  entrancing  music,  sailors  and  fisher- 
men. The  Cascades  are  so  dangerous  that  the 
government  has  built  locks  at  this  point, 
through  which  every  boat  passes  on  its  way  up 
or  down  the  river.  The  Indian  legend  as  to 
the  origin  of  the  upheaval  in  the  bed  of  the  riv- 
er now  called  the  Cascades  runs  in  this  wise: 
Years  ago  when  the  earth  was  young,  Mount 
Hood  was  the  home  of  the  Storm  Spirit  and 
Mt.  Adams  of  the  Fire  Spirit.  Across  the  vale 
that  spread  between  them  stretched  a  mighty 
bridge  of  stone  joining  peak  to  peak.  On  this 
altar  "  the  bridge  of  the  gods/'  the  Indian  laid 
his  offering  of  fish  and  dressed  skins  for  Nanne 
the  goddess  of  summer.  These  two  spirits, 
Storm  and  Fire,  both  loving  the  fair  goddess, 
grew  jealous  of  each  other  and  fell  to  fighting. 
A  perfect  gale  of  fire,  lightning,  splintered  trees 


144       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

and  rocks  swept  the  bridge,  but  the  brave  god- 
dess courageously  kept  her  place  on  this  strange 
altar.  In  the  deep  shadows  of  the  rocks,  a 
warrior  who  had  loved  her  long  but  hope- 
lessly, kept  watch.  The  storm  waxed  stronger, 
the  altar  trembled,  the  earth  to  its  very  center 
shook.  The  young  chief  sprang  forward  and 
caught  Nanne  in  his  arms,  a  crash  and  the 
beautiful  goddess  and  the  brave  warrior  were 
buried  under  the  debris  forever.  The  Colum- 
bia now  goes  whirling,  tossing  and  dashing 
over  that  old  altar  and  hurrying  on  to  the  sea. 
The  Spirits  of  Storm  and  Fire  still  linger  in 
their  old  haunts  but  never  again  will  they  see  the 
fair  Nanne.  The  Indian  invariably  mixes  a 
grain  of  truth  with  much  that  is  wild,  weird  and 
strange.  It  was  Umatilla,  chief  of  the  Indians 
at  the  Cascades  who  brought  about  peace  be- 
tween the  white  man  and  his  red  brother.  He 
had  lost  all  of  his  children  by  the  plague  except 
his  youngest  son,  Black  Eagle,  his  father 
called  him,  Benjamin  the  white  man  called 
him.  Black  Eagle  was  still  a  lad  when 
an  eastern  man  built  a  little  schoolhouse  by  the 
river  and  began  teaching  the  Indians.  A  warm 
friendship  sprang  up  between  teacher  and  pupil. 
One  sad  day  Black  Eagle  fell  ill  with  the  plague. 


RAPIDS,  COLUMBIA  RIVER. 


Washington  and  Oregon        145 

Old  Umatilla  received  the  news  that  his  son 
could  not  live,  with  all  the  stoicism  of  his  race, 
but  he  went  away  alone  into  the  wood,  return- 
ing at  the  dawn  of  day.  When  he  returned 
Black  Eagle  was  dying. 

Slowly  the  pale  lids  closed  over  the  sunken 
eyes,  a  breath  and  the  brave  lad  had  trusted  his 
soul  to  the  white  man's  God. 

The  broken-hearted  old  chief  sat  the  long 
night  through  by  the  corpse  of  his  son.  When 
morning  came  he  called  the  tribe  together  and 
told  them  he  wished  to  follow  his  last  child  to 
the  grave,  but  he  wanted  them  to  promise 
him  that  they  would  cease  to  war  with  the 
white  man  and  seek  his  friendship.  At  first 
many  of  the  warriors  refused,  but  Umatilla  had 
been  a  good  chief,  and  always  had  given  them 
fine  presents  at  the  potlatches.  Consulting 
among  themselves  they  finally  consented. 
When  the  grave  was  ready,  the  braves  laid  the 
body  of  Black  Eagle  to  rest.  Then  said  the  old 
chief :  "  My  heart  is  in  the  grave  with  my  son. 
Be  always  kind  to  the  white  man  as  you  have 
promised  me,  and  bury  us  together.  One  last 
look  into  the  grave  of  him  I  loved  and  Uma- 
tilla too  shall  die."  The  next  instant  the  gentle, 
kind  hearted  old  chief  dropped  to  the  ground 


146       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

dead.  Peace  to  his  ashes.  They  buried  him  as 
he  had  requested  and  a  little  later  sought  the 
teacher's  friendship,  asking  him  to  guide  them. 
That  year  saw  the  end  of  the  trouble  be- 
tween the  Indians  and  the  white  race  at  the 
Dalles. 

The  old  chief  still  lives  in  the  history  of  his 
country.  Umatilla  is  a  familiar  name  in  Dalles 
City.  The  principal  hotel  bears  the  name  of 
Umatilla. 

On  either  side  of  the  river  farm  houses,  or- 
chards and  wheat  fields  dot  the  landscape. 

Salmon  fishing  is  the  great  industry  on  the 
river.  The  wheels  along  both  sides  of  the 
river  have  been  having  a  hard  time  of  it  this 
season  from  the  drift  wood,  the  high  water  and 
the  big  sturgeon,  which  sometimes  get  into  the 
wheels.  A  big  sturgeon  got  into  a  wheel  be- 
longing to  the  Dodon  Company  and  slipped 
into  the  bucket,  but  was  too  large  to  be  thrown 
out.  It  was  carried  around  and  around  until  it 
was  cut  to  pieces,  badly  damaging  the  wheel. 
Now  the  law  expressly  states,  as  this  is  the 
close  season  for  sturgeon,  that  when  caught 
they  must  be  thrown  back  in  the  water.  "  But 
what  is  the  use,"  inquires  the  Daily  News,  "  if 
they  are  dead?  " 


FARM  ON  THE  BANK  OF  THE  COLUMBIA  RIVER,  BELOW  THE 
DALLES,  OREGON. 


UNIVERSITY 

OF 


Washington  and  Oregon        147 

A  visit  to  a  salmon  cannery  is  full  of  interest. 
As  the  open  season  for  salmon  is  from  April 
first  to  August  first,  the  buildings  though  large 
are  mere  sheds.  The  work  is  all  done  by  China- 
men. The  fish  are  tossed  onto  the  wharf, 
where  they  are  seized  by  the  men,  who  carry 
them  in  and  throw  them  on  to  long  tables,  chop 
off  their  heads,  dress  them  and  hold  them,  one 
fish  at  a  time,  under  a  stream  of  pure  mountain 
water,  which  pours  through  a  faucet  over  the 
long  sink.  Next  they  are  thrown  onto  another 
table,  where  other  Chinamen  cut  them  up  ready 
for  the  cans,  all  in  much  less  time  than  it  takes 
to  tell  about  it.  The  tin  is  shipped  in  the  sheet 
to  the  canneries  and  the  cans  are  made  on  the 
ground. 

Astoria,  the  Venus  of  America,  is  head- 
quarters for  the  salmon  fishing  on  the  Columbia 
River.  Joaquin  Miller  described  it  as  a  town 
which  "  clings  helplessly  to  a  humid  hill  side, 
that  seems  to  want  to  glide  into  the  great 
bay-like  river/'  Much  of  it  has  long  ago 
glided  into  the  river.  Usually  the  salmon 
canneries  are  built  on  the  shores,  but  down 
here  and  on  toward  the  sea,  where  the 
river  is  some  seven  miles  wide,  they  are 
built  on  piles  in  mid  stream.  Nets  are 


148       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

used  quite  as  much  as  wheels  in  salmon  fishing, 
Sometimes  a  hungry  seal  gets  into  the  nets,  eat- 
ing an  entire  "  catch/'  and  playing  havoc  with 
the  net.  Up  toward  the  Dalles  on  the  Wash- 
ington side  of  the  river,  are  three  springs. 
These  springs  have  long  been  considered  by  the 
Indians  a  veritable  fountain  of  youth.  Long  be- 
fore the  coming  of  the  white  man  they  carried 
their  sick  and  aged  to  these  springs,  across  the 
"  Bridge  of  the  Gods."  Just  above  Dalles  City 
lies  the  dalles  which  obstruct  navigation  for 
twelve  miles.  Beyond  this  point  the  river  is 
navigable  two  hundred  miles.  Here,  too,  leg- 
ends play  an  important  part. 

When  the  volcanoes  of  the  northwest  were 
blazing  forth  their  storm  of  fire,  ashes  and  lava, 
a  tribe  known  as  the  Fire  Fiends  walked  the 
earth  and  held  high  revelry  in  this  wild  country. 
When  Mount  Ranier  had  ceased  to  burn  the 
Devil  called  the  leaders  of  the  tribe  together 
one  day  and  proposed  that  they  follow  nature's 
mood  and  live  more  peaceably,  and  that  they 
quit  killing  and  eating  each  other.  A  howl  met 
this  proposal.  The  Devil  deemed  it  wise  just  at 
this  moment  to  move  on,  so  off  he  set,  a  thou- 
sand Fire  Fiends  after  him.  Now  his  majesty 
could  easily  whip  a  score  of  Fiends,  but 


Washington  and  Oregon         149 

he  was  no  match  for  a  thousand.  He  lashed 
his  wondrous  tail  about  and  broke  a  great 
chasm  in  the  ground.  Many  of  the  Fiends  fell 
in,  but  the  greater  part  leaped  the  rent  and  came 
on.  A  second  time  the  ponderous  tail  came 
down  with  such  force  that  a  large  ravine  was 
cracked  out  of  the  rocks,  the  earth  breaking 
away  into  an  inland  sea.  The  flood  engulfed 
the  Fiends  to  a  man.  The  bed  of  the  sea  is  now 
a  prairie  and  the  three  strokes  of  the  Devil's  tail 
are  plainly  visible  in  the  bed  of  the  Columbia  at 
the  dalles. 

Just  across  the  river  from  Dalles  City  on  a 
high  bluff,  stands  a  four  story  building,  the 
tower  in  the  center  running  two  stories  higher. 
The  building  stands  out  there  alone,  a  monu- 
ment to  the  enterprise  of  one  American.  He 
called  it  a  shoe  factory,  but  no  machinery  was 
ever  put  in  position.  After  the  pseudo  shoe 
factory  was  completed  falsp  fronts  of  other 
buildings  were  set  up  and  the  rugged  bluffs  laid 
out  in  streets.  An  imaginary  bridge  spanned 
the  broad  river.  Electric  lights,  also  imagi- 
nariy,  light  up  this  imaginary  city.  The  pic- 
tures which  this  genius  drew  of  his  town 
showed  street  cars  running  on  the  principal 
streets  and  a  busy  throng  of  people  passing  to 


150       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

and  fro.  As  to  the  shoe  factory,  it  was  turning 
out  thousands  of  imaginary  shoes  every  day. 
Now  this  rogue,  when  all  was  ready,  carried  the 
maps  and  cuts  of  his  town  to  the  east,  where 
he  sold  the  factory  and  any  number  of  lots  at 
a  high  figure,  making  a  fortune  out  of  his  paper 
town. 

From  Dalles  City  across  the  country  to 
Prineville  in  the  Bunch  Grass  country,  a  dis- 
tance of  a  hundred  miles,  the  country  is  prin- 
cipally basalt,  massive  and  columnar,  present- 
ing many  interesting  geological  features.  Deep 
gorges  separate  the  rolling  hills  which  are  cov- 
ered with  a  soil  that  produces  bunch  grass  in 
abundance.  This  same  ground  produces  fine 
wheat  and  rye.  This  is  a  good  sheep  country 
and  wool  is  one  of  the  principal  products. 

Crater  Lake  is  haunted  by  witches  and 
wizards.  Ghosts,  with  seven  leagued  boots, 
hold  high  revelry  on  its  shores  on  moonlight 
nights,  catching  any  living  thing  that  comes 
their  way  and  tossing  it  into  the  deep  waters  of 
the  lake,  where  the  water  devils  drag  it  under. 

We  spent  two  delightful  days  on  an  Oregon 
farm  near  Hubbard,  thirty  miles  south  of  Port- 
land. 

We  drove  from  Hubbard  in  the  morning  to 


SCENE  ON  AN  OREGON  FARM  IN  THE  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 


Washington  and  Oregon        151 

Puddin  river.  The  bridge  was  being  repaired, 
so  we  walked  across,  our  man  carrying  our 
traps.  We  had  just  passed  Whisky  hill  when 
we  met  our  friend  Mr.  Kauffman  and  his 
daughter,  driving  down  the  road.  We  were 
warmly  welcomed  and  after  an  exchange  of 
greetings  we  drove  back  with  them  to  their 
home,  where  we  partook  of  such  a  dinner  as 
only  true  hospitality  can  offer. 

Mr.  Kauffman  owns  three  hundred  acres  of 
fine  farming  land.  There  is  no  better  land  any- 
where on  the  Pacific  coast  than  in  this  beauti- 
ful valley  of  the  Willamette  river.  Beautiful 
flowers  and  shrubs  of  all  sorts  in  fine  contrast 
to  the  green  lawn  surround  the  house,  which  is 
painted  white,  as  Ruskin  says  all  houses  should 
be  when  set  among  green  trees.  Near  by  is 
a  spring  of  pure  mountain  water.  In  the 
woods  pasture  beyond  the  spring  pheasants  fly 
up  and  away  at  your  approach.  Tall  ferns  nod 
and  sway  in  the  wind,  while  giant  firs  beautiful 
enough  for  the  home  of  a  hamadryad  lend  an 
enticing  shade  at  noontime. 

If  any  part  of  an  Oregon  farm  can  be  more 
interesting  than  another  <  it  is  the  orchard, 
where  apple,  peach,  plum,  pear  and  cherry 
trees  vie  with  each  other  in  producing  perfect 


152        A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

fruit.  Grapes,  too,  reach  perfection  in  this  de- 
lightful climate.  One  vine  in  Mr.  Kauffman's 
vineyard  measures  eighteen  inches  in  circum- 
ference. The  dryhouse  where  the  prunes  are 
dried  for  market  is  situated  on  the  south  side  of 
the  orchard.  No  little  care  and  skill  is  required 
to  dry  this  fruit  properly. 

Wednesday  morning  we  reluctantly  bade 
good-by  to  our  kind  hostess  and  departed  with 
Mr.  Kauffman  for  Woodburn,  where  we  took 
the  train  for  Portland.  The  drive  of  ten  miles 
took  us  through  a  fine  farming  district.  Here 
farms  may  be  seen  in  all  stages  of  advancement 
from  the  "  slashing  "  process,  which  is  the  first 
step  in  making  a  farm  in  this  wooded  country, 
to  the  perfect  field  of  wheat,  rye,  barley  or  hops. 

Arriving  at  Woodburn  we  lunched  at  a  tidy 
little  restaurant.  The  train  came  all  too  soon 
and  we  regretfully  bade  our  host  farewell. 

The  memory  of  that  delightful  visit  will 
linger  with  us  as  long  as  life  shall  last. 

There  are  few  regions  in  the  West  to-day 
where  game  is  as  abundant  as  in  times  past. 
Yet  there  are  a  few  spots  where  sport  of  the 
old  time  sort  may  be  had,  and  the  lake  district 
of  Southern  Oregon  is  one  of  these.  Here,  deer 
and  bear  abound  as  in  days  of  yore,  while 


ROADWAY  IN  OREGON. 


Washington  and  Oregon       153 

grouse,  squirrel,  mallard  duck  and  partridge 
are  most  plentiful. 

Fort  Klamath  lake  is  a  beautiful  sheet  of 
water,  sixty  miles  long  by  thirty  wide.  Among 
the  tules  in  the  marshes  the  mallard  is  at  home, 
while  grouse  and  nut  brown  partridge  by  the 
thousands  glide  through  the  grass.  Fish  lake 
speaks  for  itself,  while  the  very  name,  Lake  of 
the  Woods,  carries  with  it  an  enticing  invita- 
tion to  partake  of  its  hospitality  and  royal  sport. 

Travel  is  an  educator.  It  gives  one  a 
broader  view  of  life  and  one  soon  comes  to 
realize  that  this  great  world  swinging  in  space 
is  a  vast  field  where  millions  and  millions  of 
souls  are  traveling  each  his  own  road,  all  doing 
different  things,  all  good,  all  interesting. 

In  our  journeyings  we  have  met  many  inter- 
esting people,  but  none  more  interesting  than 
Miss  McFarland,  whom  we  met  on  our  voyage 
up  the  Columbia  river.  Miss  McFarland  was 
the  first  American  child  born  in  Juneau, 
Alaska. 

Her  only  playmates  were  Indian  children. 
She  speaks  the  language  like  a  native  and  was 
for  years  her  father's  interpreter  in  his  mis- 
sion work.  She  has  lived  the  greater  part  of 
her  life  on  the  Hoonah  islands.  The  Hoonah 


1 54       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

Indians  are  the  wealthiest  Indians  in  America. 
Having  all  become  Christians  they  removed 
the  last  totem  pole  two  years  ago. 

Reminiscences  of  Miss  McFarland's  child- 
hood days  among  the  Indians  of  Alaska  would 
make  interesting  reading. 

The  old  people  as  well  as  the  children  attend 
the  mission  schools.  One  day  an  old  chief 
came  in  asking  to  be  taught  to  read.  He  came 
quite  regularly  until  the  close  of  the  school  for 
the  summer  vacation.  The  opening  of  the 
school  in  the  autumn  saw  the  old  man  in  his 
place,  but  his  eyes  had  failed.  He  could  not  see 
to  read  and  was  in  despair.  Being  advised  to 
consult  an  optician  he  did  so  and  triumphantly 
returned  with  a  pair  of  "  white  man's  eyes/' 

Upon  one  occasion  Miss  McFarland's  mother 
gave  a  Christmas  dinner  to  the  old  people  of  her 
mission.  It  is  a  custom  of  the  Indians  to  carry 
away  from  the  feast  all  of  the  food  which  has 
not  been  eaten.  One  old  man  had  forgotten  his 
basket,  but  what  matter,  Indian  ingenuity  came 
to  his  aid.  Stepping  outside  the  door  he  re- 
moved his  coat  and  taking  off  his  dress  shirt 
triumphantly  presented  it  as  a  substitute  in 
which  to  carry  home  his  share  of  the  good 
things  of  the  feast. 


Washington  and  Oregon        155 

These  Indians  believe  that  earthquakes  are 
caused  by  an  old  man  who  shakes  the  earth. 
Compare  this  with  Norse  Mythology.  When 
the  gods  had  made  the  unfortunate  Loke  fast 
with  strong  cords,  a  serpent  was  suspended 
over  him  in  such  a  manner  that  the  venom  fell 
into  his  face  causing  him  to  writhe  and  twist  so 
violently  that  the  whole  earth  shook. 

When  Miss  McFarland  left  her  home  in 
Hoonah  last  fall  to  attend  Mill's  college  every 
Indian  child  in  the  neighborhood  came  to  say 
good-by.  They  brought  all  sorts  of  presents 
and  with  many  tears  bade  her  a  long  farewell. 
"  Edna  go  away?  "  "  Ah!  Oh!  Me  so  sorry." 
"  Edna  no  more  come  back?  "  "  We  no  more 
happy  now  Edna  gone,"  "  No  more  happy,  Oh ! 
Oh !  "  "  Edna  no  more  come  back/'  "  Oh,  good- 
by,  Edna,  good-by." 

Every  Christmas  brings  Miss  McFarland 
many  tokens  of  affection  from  her  former  play- 
mates. Pin  cushions,  beaded  slippers,  baskets, 
rugs,  beaded  portemonnaies.  Always  some- 
thing made  with  their  own  hands. 

Miss  McFarland's  name,  through  that  of  her 
parents,  is  indissolubly  connected  with  Indian 
advancement  in  Alaska. 

One  meets  curious  people,  too,  in  traveling. 


156       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

In  the  parlor  at  the  hotel  one  evening  a  party 
of  tourists  were  discussing  the  point  of  extend- 
ing their  trip  to  Alaska.  The  yeas  and  nays 
were  about  equal  when  up  spoke  a  flashily 
dressed  little  woman,  "  Well/'  said  she,  "  what 
is  there  to  see  when  you  get  there?''  That 
woman  belongs  to  the  class  with  some  of  our 
fellow  passengers,  both  men  and  women  who 
sat  wrapped  in  furs  and  rugs  from  breakfast  to 
luncheon  and  from  luncheon  to  dinner  reading 
"  A  Woman's  Revenge,"  "  Blind  Love,"  and 
"  Maude  Percy's  Secret,"  perfectly  oblivious  to 
the  grandest  scenery  on  the  American  conti- 
nent, scenery  which  every  year  numbers  of  for- 
eigners cross  continents  and  seas  to  behold. 

One  of  our  fellow  travelers  is  a  German 
physician  who  is  spending  the  summer  on  the 
coast.  He  is  deeply  interested  in  the  woman 
question  in  America.  He  is  quite  sure  that 
American  women  have  too  much  liberty. 
"  Why,"  said  he,  "  they  manage  everything. 
They  rule  the  home,  the  children  and  their  hus- 
bands, too.  Why,  madam,  it  is  outrageous. 
Now  surely  the  man  ought  to  be  the  head  of 
the  house  and  manage  the  children  and  the  wife 
too,  she  belongs  to  him,  doesn't  she?  " 


Washington  and  Oregon        157 

"  Not  in  America/'  we  replied,  "  the  men  are 
too  busy,  and  besides  they  enjoy  having  their 
homes  managed  for  them.  Then,  too,  the  wo- 
men are  too  independent." 

"  That  is  just  what  I  say,  madam,  they  have 
too  much  liberty,  they  are  too  independent. 
They  go  everywhere  they  like,  do  everything 
they  like  and  ask  no  man  nothings  at  all." 

My  German  friend  evidently  thinks  that  un- 
less this  wholesale  independence  of  women  is 
checked  our  country  will  go  to  destruction. 
The  war  with  Spain  does  not  compare  with  it. 
I  am  wondering  yet  if  our  critic's  wife  is  one 
of  those  independent  American  women. 

Just  below  Portland  on  the  banks  of  the 
Willamette  river  and  connected  with  Portland 
by  an  electric  street  railway  stands  the  first 
capital  of  Oregon,  Oregon  City,  the  stronghold 
of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  which  aided 
England  in  so  nearly  wrenching  that  vast  terri- 
tory from  the  United  States. 

This  quaint  old  town  is  rapidly  taking  on  the 
marks  of  age.  The  warehouse  of  that  mighty 
fur  company  stands  at  the  wharf,  weather 
beaten  and  silent.  No  busy  throng  of  trappers, 
traders  and  Indians  awaken  its  echoes  with 


158       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

barter  and  jest.  No  fur  loaded  canoe  glides 
down  the  river.  No  camp  fire  smoke  curls  up 
over  the  dark  pine  tops. 

The  Indian  with  his  blanket,  the  trapper  with 
his  snares  and  the  trader  with  his  wares  have 
all  disappeared  before  the  march  of  a  newer 
civilization.  The  camp  fire  has  given  place  to 
the  chimney;  the  blanket  to  the  overcoat;  the 
trader  to  the  merchant  and  the  game  preserves 
to  fields  of  waving  grain. 

The  lonely  old  warehouse  looks  down  in 
dignified  silence  on  the  busy  scenes  of  a  city  full 
of  American  push  and  go. 

All  the  forenoon  the  drowsy  porter  sat  on  his 
stool  at  the  door  of  the  sleeper,  ever  and  anon 
peering  down  the  aisle  or  scanning  the  features 
of  the  passengers. 

What  could  be  the  cause  of  his  anxiety? 
Was  he  a  detective  in  disguise?  Had  some 
one  been  robbed  the  night  before  ?  Had  some 
one  forgotten  to  pay  for  services  rendered? 
Had  that  handsome  man  run  away  with  the 
beautiful  fair  haired  woman  at  his  side? 
Visions  of  the  meeting  with  an  irate  father  at 
the  next  station  dawned  on  the  horizon. 

The  train  whirled  on  and  still  the  porter  kept 
up  his  vigilance. 


Washington  and  Oregon  159 

It  was  nearly  noon  when  I  stepped  across  to 
my  own  section  and  picked  up  my  shoes.  The 
sleepy  porter  was  wide  awake  now.  His  face 
was  a  study.  For  one  brief  moment  I  was  sure 
that  he  was  a  detective  and  that  he  thought 
he  had  caught  the  rogue  for  whom  he  was 
looking. 

"  Them  your  shoes,  Madam  ?"  said  he  ap- 
proaching me. 

"  Yes." 

"  Why,  Madam,  I've  been  waitin  here  all 
mornin'  for  the  owner  to  come  and  get  'em." 

Ah,  now  I  understood.  He  was  responsi- 
ble for  the  shoes  and  he  thought  that  they  be- 
longed to  a  man.  Fifty  cents  passed  into  the 
faithful  black  hands  and  my  porter  disappeared 
with  just  a  hint  of  a  smile  on  his  face. 


CHAPTER  XII 

OFF  FOR  CALIFORNIA 

WE  left  Portland  on  the  night  train  for  San 
Francisco.  I  took  my  gull,  the  Captain  we 
called  him,  into  the  sleeper  with  me.  He  was 
asleep  when  I  placed  his  basket  under  my  berth, 
but  about  midnight  he  awoke  and  squawked 
frightfully. 

I  rang  for  the  porter  but  before  he  arrived 
the  Captain  had  awakened  nearly  every  one  in 
the  car.  Angry  voices  were  heard  inquiring 
what  that  "  screeching,  screaming  thing/5  was. 

An  old  gentleman  thrust  his  red  night  capped 
head  out  of  his  berth  next  to  mine  and  angrily 
demanded  of  me  where  that  nasty  beast  came 
from.  When  I  politely  told  him  he  said  he 
wished  that  I  had  had  the  good  sense  to  leave  it 
there.  Then  he  said  something  that  sounded 
dreadfully  like  swear  words,  but  being  such  an 
old  gentleman  I've  no  doubt  that  my  ears  de- 
ceived me. 

At  any  rate  it  was  something  about  sea  gulls 
1 60 


Off  for  California  1 6 1 

in  general  and  my  own  in  particular.  His  red 
flannel  cap  disappeared  and  presently  I  heard 
him  snoring  away  up  in  G.  Now  my  poor 
gull  only  squawked  on  low  C.  After  that  the 
Captain  traveled  in  the  baggage  car  with  the 
trunks  and  packages. 

Traveling  south  from  Portland  one  passes 
farms  and  orchards  until  the  foot  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada  range  is  reached.  Most  of  the  farms 
are  well  improved.  Many  of  the  orchards  are 
bearing,  while  others  are  young. 

Here  and  there  in  the  mountains  are  cattle 
ranches.  These  mountains  are  not  barren, 
rugged  rocks  like  the  Selkirks  of  Alaska.  Here 
there  is  plenty  of  pasture  to  the  very  summit  of 
the  mountains. 

Wolf  Creek  valley  is  one  vast  hay  field.  Up 
we  go  until  the  far-famed  Rogue  River  valley 
is  reached.  This  noble  valley  lying  in  the  heart 
of  the  Sierras  reminds  one  of  the  great  Mo- 
hawk valley  of  New  York. 

Ashland  is  the  center  of  this  prosperous  dis- 
trict. The  Southern  State  Normal  School  is 
located  here. 

The  seventh  annual  assembly  of  the  Southern 
Oregon  Chautauqua  will  convene  in  Ashland  in 
July.  This  assembly  is  always  well  attended. 


1 62       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

Farmers  bring  their  families  and  camp  on  the 
grounds.  The  program  contains  the  names  of 
musicians  prominent  on  the  coast.  Among  the 
lecturers  are  the  names  of  men  and  women 
prominent  in  their  special  fields.  Frank  Beard, 
the  noted  chalk  talk  lecturer,  will  be  present. 
So  you  see  that  the  wild  and  woolly  west  is  not 
here,  but  has  moved  on  to  the  Philippines. 

When  the  passenger  train  stops  at  the  station 
of  Ashland  a  score  of  young  fruit  venders 
swarm  on  the  platform,  crying  plums,  cherries, 
peaches  and  raspberries  at  fifteen  cents  a  box. 
When  the  train-bell  rings  fruit  suddenly  falls  to 
ten  cents  and  when  the  conductor  cries  "  All 
aboard  "  fruit  takes  a  downward  plunge  to  five 
cents  a  box,  but  the  fruit  is  all  so  delicious  that 
you  do  not  feel  in  the  least  cheated  in  having 
paid  the  first  price.  "  Look  here,  you  young 
rascal/'  said  a  newspaper  man,  who  travels 
over  the  road  frequently  to  one  of  the  young 
fruit  dealers,  "  I  bought  raspberries  of  you  yes- 
terday at  five  cents  a  box."  "  O  no  you 
didn't,  mister,  never  sold  raspberries  at  five 
cents  a  box  in  my  life  sir,  pon  honor/'  In  less 
than  three  minutes  this  young  westerner  was 
crying  "  Nice  ripe  raspberries  here,  five  cents  a 
box."  "  Why,"  said  I,  "  I  thought  you  told 


CLIMBING  THE  SHASTA  RANGE. 


Off  for  California  163 

the  gentleman  that  you  never  sold  berries  at  five 
cents  a  box/'  "  No,  Madam,  I  didn't,  pon 
honor,"  and  the  little  rogue  really  looked  in- 
nocent. 

Leaving  Ashland  with  three  big  engines  we 
climb  steadily  up  four  thousand  one  hundred 
and  thirty  feet  to  the  summit  of  the  range. 

The  Rogue  River  valley  spreads  out  below  us 
in  a  grand  panorama  of  wheat,  oats,  barley 
fields  and  orchards.  Down  the  southern  slope 
the  commercial  interest  centers  in  large  saw- 
mills and  cattle  ranches. 

Off  to  the  east  lie  the  lava  beds  where  Gen. 
Canby  and  his  companions  were  £3  treacherously 
assassinated  by  the  Modoc  Indians  under  the 
leadership  of  Captain  Jack  and  Scar  Faced 
Charley. 

Crossing  the  Klatmath  River  valley  the 
dwelling  place  in  early  days  of  the  Klatmath 
Indians,  the  engines  make  merry  music  as  they 
puff,  puff,  puff  in  a  sort  of  Rhunic  rhyme  to  the 
whir  of  the  wheels  as  they  groan  and 
climb  three  thousand  nine  hundred  feet 
to  the  summit  of  the  Shasta  range.  There 
is  something  wonderfully  fascinating  about 
mountain  climbing.  Whether  by  rail  over  a 
route  laid  out  by  a  skilled  engineer;  on  the  back 


164       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

of  a  donkey  over  a  trail  just  wide  enough  for 
the  feet  of  the  little  beast,  or  staff  in  hand  you 
go  slowly  up  over  rocks  and  bowlders,  or 
around  them,  clinging  to  trees  and  shrubs  for 
support.  The  very  fact  that  the  train  may 
without  a  moment's  notice  plunge  through  a 
trestle  or  go  plowing  its  way  down  the  mount- 
ain side;  the  donkey  lose  his  head  and  take  a 
false  step;  the  shrub  break  or  a  bowlder  come 
tearing  down  the  rock-ribbed  mountain  and 
crush  your  life  out,  thrills  the  blood  and  holds 
the  mind  enthralled  as  a  bird  is  held  enchanted 
by  the  charm  of  the  pitiless  snake. 

Throughout  the  mountains  mistletoe,  that 
mystic  plant  of  the  Druids,  hangs  from  the 
limbs  and  trunks  of  tall  trees. 

It  was  with  an  arrow  made  from  mistletoe 
that  Hoder  slew  the  fair  Baldur. 

All  day  long  snow-covered  Mt.  Shasta  has 
been  in  sight  and  toward  evening  we  pass  near 
it  on  the  southern  side  of  the  range  and  stop 
at  the  Shasta  Soda  Springs.  The  principal 
spring  is  natural  soda  water.  This  is  the 
fashionable  summer  resort  of  San  Francisco 
people,  who  come  here  to  get  warm,  the  climate 
of  that  city  being  so  disagreeable  during  July 


THE  HIGHEST  TRESTLE  IN  THE  WORLD,  NEAR  MUIR'S  PEAK, 
SHASTA  RANGE. 


THE 

f  UNIVERSITY   1 

OF 


Off  for  California  165 

and  August  that  people  are  glad  to  leave  town 
for  the  more  genial  air  of  the  mountains. 

It  certainly  is  odd  to  have  people  living  in  the 
heart  of  a  great  city  ask  you  during  these  two 
months  if  it  is  hot  out  in  the  country.  "  Out  in 
the  country  "  means  forty  or  fifty  miles  out, 
where  there  is  plenty  of  heat  and  sunshine.  At 
Shasta  Springs,  however,  the  weather  is  cooler. 
The  climate  is  delightful,  the  water  refreshing 
and  the  strawberries  beyond  compare.  Bote- 
ler,  known  as  a  lover  of  strawberries,  once  said 
of  his  favorite  fruit :  "  Doubtless  God  could 
have  made  a  better  berry,  but  doubtless  God 
never  did/' 

Just  beyond  the  springs  stand  the  wonderful 
Castle  Crags.  Hidden  in  the  very  depths  of 
these  lofty  Crags  lies  a  beautiful  lake.  This 
strange  old  castle  of  solid  granite,  its  towers 
and  minarets  casting  long  shadows  in  the  moon- 
light for  centuries,  is  not  without  its  historic  in- 
terest, though  feudal  baron  nor  chatelaine 
dainty  ever  ruled  over  it.  Joaquin  Miller,  in 
the  "  Battle  of  Castle  Crag/'  tells  the  tale  of  its 
border  history. 

Not  far  away  at  the  base  of  Battle  Rock  a 
bloody  battle  was  once  fought  between  a  few 


1 66       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

whites  and  the  Shasta  Indians  on  one  side  and 
the  Modoc  Indians  on  the  other. 

The  Indians  of  California  say  that  Mt. 
Shasta  was  the  first  part  of  the  earth  created. 
Surely  it  is  grand  enough  and  beautiful  enough 
to  lay  claim  to  this  pre-eminence.  When  the 
waters  receded  the  earth  became  green  with 
vegetation  and  joyous  with  the  song  of  birds, 
the  Great  Manitou  hollowed  out  Mt.  Shasta  for 
a  wigwam.  The  smoke  of  his  lodge  fires 
(Shasta  is  an  extinct  volcano)  was  often  seen 
pouring  from  the  cone  before  the  white  man 
came. 

Kmukamtchiksh  is  the  evil  spirit  of  the  world. 
He  punishes  the  wicked  by  turning  them  into 
rocks  on  the  mountain  side  or  putting  them 
down  into  the  fires  of  Shasta. 

Many  thousands  of  snows  ago  a  terrible 
storm  swept  Mt.  Shasta.  Fearing  that  his 
wigwam  would  be  turned  over,  the  Great  Spirit 
sent  his  youngest  and  fairest  daughter  to  the 
crater  at  the  top  of  the  mountain  to  speak  to  the 
storm  and  command  it  to  cease  lest  it  blow  the 
mountain  away.  She  was  told  to  make  haste 
and  not  to  put  her  head  out  lest  the  Wind  catch 
her  in  his  powerful  arms  and  carry  her  away. 

The  beautiful  daughter  hastened  to  the  sum- 


1 1 


OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 

OF 


Off  for  California  167 

mit  of  the  peak,  but  never  having  seen  the  ocean 
when  it  was  lashed  into  a  fury  by  the  storm 
wind,  she  thought  to  take  just  one  peep,  a  fatal 
peep  it  proved.  The  Wind  caught  her  by  her 
long  red  hair  and  dragged  her  down  the 
mountain  side  to  the  timber  below. 

At  this  time  the  grizzly  bears  held  in  fee  all 
the  surrounding  country,  even  down  to  the  sea. 
In  those  magic  days  of  long  ago  they  walked 
erect,  talked  like  men  and  carried  clubs  with 
which  to  slay  their  enemies. 

At  the  time  of  the  great  storm  a  family  of 
grizzlies  was  living  in  the  edge  of  the  forest 
just  below  the  snow  line.  When  the  father 
grizzly  returned  one  day  from  hunting  he  saw 
a  strange  little  creature  sitting  under  a  fir  tree 
shivering  with  cold.  The  snow  gleamed  and 
glowed  where  her  beautiful  hair  trailed  over  it. 
He  took  her  to  his  wife  who  was  very  wise  in 
the  lore  of  the  mountains.  She  knew  who  the 
strange  child  was  but  she  said  nothing  about  it 
to  old  father  grizzly,  but  kept  the  little  creature 
and  reared  her  with  her  own  children. 

When  the  oldest  grizzly  son  had  quite  grown 
up  his  mother  proposed  to  him  that  he  marry 
her  foster  daughter  who  had  now  grown  to  be  a 
beautiful  woman. 


1 68       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

Many  deer  were  slain  by  the  old  father 
grizzly  and  his  sons  for  the  marriage  feast. 
All  the  grizzly  families  throughout  the 
mountains  were  bidden  to  the  feast. 

When  the  guests  had  eaten  of  the  deer  and 
drank  of  the  wine  distilled  from  bear  berries 
and  elder  berries  in  moonlight  at  the  foot  of 
Mt.  Shasta,  when  the  feast  was  over,  they  all 
united  and  built  for  their  princess  a  magnifi- 
cent wigwam  near  that  of  her  father.  This  is 
"  Little  Mt.  Shasta." 

The  children  of  this  strange  pair  were  a  new 
race, — the  first  Indians. 

Now,  all  this  time  the  great  spirit  was  ig- 
norant of  the  fate  of  his  beloved  daughter,  but 
when  the  old  mother  grizzly  came  to  die  she  felt 
that  she  could  not  lie  peacefully  in  her  grave 
until  she  had  restored  the  princess  to  her  father. 

Inviting  all  the  grizzlies  in  the  forest  to  be 
present  at  the  lodge  of  the  princess,  she  sent  her 
oldest  grandson  wrapt  in  a  great  white  cloud  to 
the  summit  of  Mt.  Shasta  to  tell  the  Great 
Spirit  where  his  daughter  lived. 

Now  when  the  great  Manitou  heard  this  he 
was  so  happy  he  ran  down  the  mountain  side  so 
fast  that  the  snow  melted  away  under  his  feet. 


Off  for  California  169 

To  this  day  you  can  see  his  footprints  in  the 
lava  among  the  rocks  on  the  side  of  the 
mountain. 

The  grizzlies  by  thousands  met  him  and 
standing  with  clubs  at  "  attention  "  greeted  him 
as  he  passed  to  the  lodge  of  his  daughter. 

But  when  he  saw  the  strange  children  and 
learned  that  this  was  a  new  race  he  was  angry 
and  looked  so  savagely  at  the  old  mother  grizzly 
that  she  died  instantly.  The  grizzlies  now  set 
up  a  dreadful  wail,  but  he  ordered  them  to  keep 
quiet  and  to  get  down  on  their  hands  and  knees 
and  remain  so  until  he  should  return.  He 
never  returned,  and  to  this  day  the  poor  doomed 
grizzlies  go  on  all  fours. 

A  wonderful  feat  of  jugglery,  but  a  greater 
was  that  of  the  Olympian  goddess  who  changed 
the  beautiful  maiden  Callisto  into  a  bear,  which 
Jupiter  set  in  the  heavens,  and  where  she  is  to 
be  seen  every  night,  beside  her  son  the  Little 
Bear. 

The  angry  Manitou  turned  his  strange 
grandchildren  out  of  doors,  fastened  the  door 
and  carried  his  daughter  away  to  his  own  wig- 
wam. 

The  Indians  to  this  day  believe  that  a  bear 


170       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

can  talk  if  you  will  only  sit  still  and  listen  to 
him.  The  Indians  will  not  harm  a  bear.  Now 
for  the  meaning  of  those  queer  little  piles  of 
stones  one  sees  so  frequently  in  the  Shasta 
mountains.  If  an  Indian  is  killed  by  a  bear  he 
is  burned  on  the  spot  where  he  fell.  Every  In- 
dian who  passes  that  way  will  fling  a  stone  at 
the  fated  place  to  dispel  the  charm  that  hangs 
over  it. 

"  All  that  wide  and  savage  water-shed  of  the 
Sacramento  tributaries  to  the  south  and  west  of 
Mt.  Shasta  affords  good  bear  hunting  at  almost 
any  season  of  the  year — if  you  care  to  take  the 
risks.  But  he  is  a  velvet-footed  fellow,  and 
often  when  and  where  you  expect  peace  you 
will  find  a  grizzly.  Quite  often  when  and  where 
you  think  that  you  are  alone,  just  when  you 
begin  to  be  certain  that  there  is  not  a  single 
grizzly  bear  in  the  mountains,  when  you  begin 
to  breathe  the  musky  perfume  of  Mother 
Nature  as  she  shapes  out  the  twilight  stars  in 
her  hair,  and  you  start  homeward,  there  stands 
your  long  lost  bear  in  your  path !  And  your 
bear  stands  up!  And  your  hair  stands  up! 
And  you  wish  you  had  not  lost  him !  And  you 
wish  you  had  not  found  him!  And  you  start 


Off  for  California  171 

for  home!  And  you  go  the  other  way  glad, 
glad  to  the  heart  if  he  does  not  come  tearing 
after  you."  * 

Downward  from  Mt.  Shasta  flows  the  Sac- 
ramento river.  For  thirty  miles  it  goes  tum- 
bling over  bowlders  and  granite  ledges  on  its 
way  to  the  sea.  In  mid-summer  the  Sacra- 
mento canon  is  a  paradise  of  unbrageous 
beauty,  a  region  of  forest  and  groves,  of  leafy 
shrubs,  delicate  ferns,  mosses  and  beautiful 
flowers,  of  roaring,  tumbling  rivers,  shining 
lakelets  and  dancing  trout  streams. 

Up  in  the  mountains  the  dewberries  are 
ripe.  They  are  about  the  size  of  currants,  but 
farther  down  the  slope  they  are  larger.  Black- 
berries are  also  plentiful,  also  the  black  rasp- 
berry, called  by  the  Indians  succotash. 

The  coniferous  forests  of  the  Sierra  Nevada 
range  are  the  most  beautiful  in  the  world. 
Here,  where  the  granite  domes  which  are  so 
striking  a  feature  of  the  Sierras,  we  find  the 
most  beautiful  little  meadows  lying  on  the  tops 
of  the  dividing  ridges  or  on  their  sloping  sides. 
These  meadows  are  all  aglow  with  wild  flowers, 
rank  columbines,  stately  larkspur,  daisies  and 

*  JOAQUIN  MILLER,  A  Bear  Hunt  in  the  Fifties. 


172       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

the  lovely  lupines,  beds  of  blue  and  white  vio- 
lets, many  strange  grasses  and  beautiful  sedges, 
and  the  glory  of  them  all,  the  lily. 

The  magnificent  sunset  of  the  mountains,  the 
afterglow  resting  on  their  summits,  the  many 
clouds  of  various  hues,  borrowing  the  tints  of 
the  rainbow, 

"  That  glory  mellower  than  a  mist 
Of  pearl  dissolved  with  amethyst," 

resting  on  the  snowy  peaks,  lend  an  enchant- 
ment to  the  scene  that  might  entice  the  elf 
king  Oberon  himself  and  all  his  crew  of  Pixies 
and  Imps  back  to  earth. 

Doubtless  God  might  have  created  a  more 
magnificent  range  of  mountains  than  the  Sier- 
ras, but  doubtless  God  never  did. 

"  If  thou  art  worn  and  hard  beset 
With  sorrows  thou  wouldst  forget, 
Go  to  the  woods  and  hills." 

— LONGFELLOW. 

"  There  ain't  nothing  like  fresh  air  and  the 
smell  of  the  woods.  There's  always  a  smell 
from  trees  dead,  or  living,  and  the  air  is  better 
where  the  woods  be/' 


CHAPTER  XIII 

SAN   FRANCISCO 

THE  Pacific  slope  has  a  wonderful  flora 
which  has  been  but  little  studied.  Here  won- 
derful ferns  and  laurels  grow  the  whole  year 
round.  With  few  exceptions  all  the  plants  are 
new  and  strange.  One  of  the  most  beautiful 
trees  on  the  coast  is  the  madrona,  graceful  and 
stately,  its  red  trunk  contrasting  oddly  with  its 
green  foliage.  The  dandelion  is  here  but 
puts  on  such  airs  and  graces  that  unless  you  are 
quite  familiar  with  him  you  would  never  take 
him  for  the  common  weed  he  is  at  home.  He 
grows  several  in  a  cluster  on  a  delicate  stem 
twelve  to  fifteen  inches  long.  He  is  the  pale 
yellow  of  California  gold.  His  white  head 
when  he  goes  to  seed  is  more  frowsy  than  with 
us,  and  the  seeds  are  a  little  different  in  shape, 
but  he  wings  himself  over  onto  people's  lawns 
with  the  agility  and  grace  of  his  Illinois 
brother. 

There  are  many  points  of  interest  in  San 
173 


174       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

Francisco  and  not  the  least  of  these  is  China 
Town,  which  has  a  population  of  thirty  thou- 
sand people.  A  Chinese  school  is  a  place 
of  interest.  The  boys  (girls  are  not  sent 
to  school  in  China  Town)  stand  at  long 
tables  running  across  the  room.  The  pupils 
all  study  aloud.  Besides  their  books  each 
pupil  is  provided  with  a  small  camel's 
hair  brush  and  a  pot  of  ink  with  which 
he  writes  out  his  lessons  in  the  characters  of  his 
native  language.  The  paper  used  is  very  red, 
while  the  ink  is  very  black.  This  is  a  priest's 
school  and  these  little  almond-eyed  Orientals 
in  their  quaint  caps  and  gowns  are  all  study- 
ing for  the  priesthood.  They  laugh  and  whis- 
per too,  when  the  teacher's  attention  is  engaged 
elsewhere,  just  like  American  children.  One 
boy  painted  a  Chinese  character  on  another's 
face,  then  they  all  laughed  and  the  first  boy 
wiped  it  angrily  off.  The  teacher  had  not  seen 
it,  so  no  one  was  punished.  The  teacher,  a  fine 
looking  man  in  the  native  dress  of  his  country, 
with  a  few  strokes  of  his  brush  painted  for  us 
on  red  paper  an  advertisement  of  his  school. 
Teacher  and  pupils  bowed  a  good  morning  as 
we  departed. 

At  the  Christian  Mission  the  Chinese  minis- 


San  Francisco  175 

ter,  a  man  of  much  intelligence,  greeted  us  cor- 
dially, asking  where  we  were  from.  He  knew 
where  Chicago  was  and  something  about  it. 
He  was  sorry  that  the  services  were  over  and 
asked  us  to  come  again  next  Sunday  at  ten 
o'clock. 

The  tea  house,  which  is  the  club  room,  is  the 
finest  oriental  club  house  in  America.  The 
beautiful  tables  and  chairs  are  all  inlaid  with 
marble  and  pearl. 

The  Joss  House,  which  is  the  temple,  is  mag- 
nificently adorned  and  decorated.  A  cup  of 
tea,  which  of  course  evaporates,  is  kept  setting 
in  front  of  the  god,  but  his  worshipers  believe 
he  drinks  it.  Lamps  and  incense  are  kept  burn- 
ing all  the  time  to  keep  the  evil  spirits  away. 
The  worshipers  come  and  go  at  all  hours.  No 
regular  services  are  held  except  at  New  Years 
and  on  feast  days.  Upon  request,  however,  the 
priest  will  accompany  an  individual  to  the  tem- 
ple and  conduct  services  for  him. 

The  home  of  an  aristocratic  Chinaman  is  full 
of  interest  to  an  American.  In  the  home  in 
which  we  visited  everything  except  the  chairs 
came  from  China,  and  these  looked  oddly  out 
of  place  against  the  background  of  rich  ori- 
ental draperies,  and  the  quaint  costumes  of  our 


176       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

hostess  and  her  daughter.  Our  hostess  was  a 
large  woman,  but  she  proudly  displayed  her 
tiny  feet,  the  mark  of  true  aristocracy.  She 
hobbled  bravely  about  on  these  feet  only  four 
inches  long  and  did  the  honors  of  her  house. 

When  in  exchange  for  the  compliment  of 
seeing  these  aristocratic  feet  I  quite  as  proudly 
thrust  out  my  American  ones  encased  in  No.  6 
broad-soled  mountain  climbers,  the  dear  lady 
bowed  and  smiled,  but  made  no  comment.  The 
six-year-old  daughter  of  the  house  was  suffer- 
ing the  tortures  of  having  her  feet  bound. 
When  the  Chinese  become  Christians  they 
abandon  this  practice. 

In  an  opium  den  an  old  smoker  showed  us 
how  he  smoked  the  fateful  drug.  He  first 
took  a  large  lump  of  opium  on  a  long  needle 
and  holding  it  in  the  flame  of  a  candle,  burnt 
the  poison  out  of  it,  then  thrust  it  into  the  cup 
of  his  long  pipe,  the  tiny  opening  of  which  he 
held  near  the  lighted  candle,  sucking  the  blue 
smoke  into  his  lungs  and  exhaling  it  through 
his  nostrils. 

In  the  drug  store  the  druggist  was  putting 
up  a  prescription  for  a  sick  Chinaman  who  was 
standing  near.  He  took  down  four  different 
bottles  and  took  some  roots  out  of  each.  Tell- 


STREET  SCENE  IN  CHINATOWN,  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


San  Francisco  177 

ing  the  man  to  make  a  tea  of  them  he  tied  them 
up  and  handed  them  over  the  counter  and  re- 
ceived his  pay.  There  were  lizards  and  toads 
there  also  to  be  made  into  medicine. 

In  the  jewelry  store  four  goldsmiths  were  at 
work  making  rings,  bracelets  and  earrings,  all 
by  hand. 

In  the  market  all  sorts  of  fish  and  birds  were 
offered  for  sale.  A  big  fat  pig  roasted  whole 
looked  tempting  indeed.  Beans,  which  had 
been  kept  damp  until  they  had  sprouted,  the 
sprouts  an  inch  to  two  inches  long  were  ready 
to  be  made  into  a  tempting  salad.  There  were 
baskets  of  green  watermelons  the  size  of  an  or- 
ange. 

This  being  Sunday  the  streets  were  thronged 
with  Chinese  in  native  holiday  dress,  who 
sauntered  leisurely  along  or  gathered  in  groups 
chatting  away  in  their  native  tongue.  Their 
long  queues  tied  with  black  ribbon  hung  down 
the  back  or  were  tucked  into  the  side  pocket  of 
the  tunic.  Here  and  there  an  Oriental  who  had 
imbibed  some  of  the  American  energy  hurried 
along  dressed  in  the  somber  business  suit  of  the 
American,  his  closely  cropped  hair,  mustache 
and  American  shoes  making  a  strange  contrast 
to  the  groups  on  the  corner. 


1 7  8      A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

There  is  no  Sunday  in  the  calendar  of  these 
almond-eyed  Orientals, — the  stores,  markets 
and  opium  dens  were  all  open. 

Presently  the  weird  music  of  the  Salvation 
Army  broke  on  our  ears.  Down  the  street 
came  the  Chinese  Salvation  band,  dressed  in 
American  costume,  the  leader  carrying  the 
American  flag. 

When  the  first  Chinese  came  to  Califor- 
nia the  Indians  were  very  curious  about  them. 
A  dispute  arose  among  them  as  to  what  coun- 
try the  strangers  might  hail  from,  and  whether 
or  not  they  were  Indians. 

The  Indians,  wise  as  the  Puritans  of  old, 
would  apply  the  water  test.  If  the  accused 
swam  they  were  witches,  if  they  drowned  they 
were  innocent. 

One  day  a  party  of  Indians  met  a  party  of 
Chinamen  approaching  a  little  stream,, 

The  strangers  approached  the  bridge  and 
started  across.  The  Indians  too  filed  across  and 
meeting  the  Chinamen  in  mid-stream  pushed 
two  of  them  into  the  angry,  spooming  current 
below.  The  test  was  conclusive.  They  could 
not  swim.  They  were  not  Indians. 

In   the   fire   department   are   exhibited   two 


San  Francisco  179 

queer  old  engines.  One  was  purchased  in  New 
York  in  1849  anc^  brought  around  the  Horn. 
The  other  is  a  hand  engine  a  little  more  modern 
in  make.  These  engines  are  carefully  guarded 
and  never  taken  out  except  on  rare  occasions. 

Down  toward  the  wharf  there  stands  a 
quaint  old  building,  the  material  for  which 
was  brought  around  Cape  Horn  in  1850.  This 
was  San  Francisco's  first  hotel. 

In  the  wild  days  of  the  early  history  of  this 
little  adobe  city,  nestled  among  the  dunes  and 
sand  hills,  Mount  Diable  looked  down  on  weird 
scenes  on  the  plaza  in  front  of  this  old  hotel. 
Here  the  famous  vigilance  committee  meted  out 
justice  to  rogue  and  outlaw  alike. 

In  the  early  history  of  California  the  eighth 
day  of  July,  1846,  stands  out  conspicuously. 
On  that  day  the  Brooklyn  dropped  her  anchor 
off  the  island  of  Yerba  Buena,  the  "  good  herb," 
and  flung  the  Stars  and  Stripes  to  the  breeze. 
At  noon  Captain  Montgomery  unfurled  the 
American  flag  on  the  plaza. 

In  that  good  ship  came  a  party  of  pseudo 
Mormons,  under  the  leadership  of  "  Bishop  " 
Brannan,  the  valiant  leader  of  the  Vigilance 
Society.  This  colony  of  Latter  Day  saints 


180         A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

brought  stout  hearts,  keen  wits,  strong  arms, 
pluck,  plenty  of  money  and  a  printing  press. 
Later  they  quarreled  with  their  bishop  and  went 
to  law  with  him  and  thus  gave  up  their  scheme 
of  Mormon  colonization  and  made  sport  of 
Brigham  Young  himself  in  their  tents  on  the 
beach. 

But  they  gave  to  San  Francisco  her  first 
newspaper  pledged  to  eschew  all  sectarian 
dogmas;  her  first  prayer  meeting  and  her  first 
trial  by  jury.  A  wonderfully  progressive  peo- 
ple, those  Mormons  of  the  sand  dunes. 

Washington  Bartlett,  the  first  alcalde  of 
Yerba  Buena,  changed  the  name  to  San  Fran- 
cisco. 

The  name  of  John  C.  Fremont  stands  for 
California  as  does  that  of  Dr.  Marcus  Whitman 
for  Oregon. 

We  called  on  the  astrologer.  When  our  horo- 
scopes were  cast  and  our  future  told  us,  we 
bade  adieu  to  China  Town. 

The  Golden  Gate  park  is  a  perfect  bower  of 
beauty,  a  fine  piece  of  landscape  gardening. 

In  the  center  of  the  park  stands  the  Hall  of 
Art,  a  handsome  building  of  Egyptian  archi- 
tecture. From  the  display  in  the  relic  depart- 


MUSEUM  IN  GOLDEN  GATE  PARK,  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 

OF 


San  Francisco  1 8 1 

ment  one  easily  reads  the  history  of  early  days 
in  California. 

In  the  department  of  statuary  the  loveliest 
figure  was  one  in  the  beautiful  carrara  marble 
of  Merope  who  was  cast  out  of  heaven  because 
she  fell  in  love  with  a  mortal. 

A  plaster  cast  of  the  head  of  David  after  the 
colossal  statue  by  Michael  Angelo  set  in  place 
in  Florence  in  1504,  attracted  much  attention. 

Michael  Angelo  had  his  troubles  like  other 
mortals.  When  his  David  was  placed  in  posi- 
tion the  mayor  of  Florence  objected  to  the  nose 
of  the  statue,  saying  it  was  too  large.  Angelo, 
perceiving  that  his  critic's  position  gave  him  a 
poor  light  on  the  figure,  took  a  handful  of 
marble  dust,  a  hammer  and  a  chisel  and  climb- 
ing to  the  head  of  the  statue  gave  the  nose  a 
few  taps,  at  the  same  time  letting  fall  the  dust. 
The  mayor  without  changing  position  declared 
the  nose  perfect. 

The  Second  Oregon  had  come  home :  Early 
in  the  morning  the  commanders  were  instructed 
to  get  their  men  ready  to  march  to  the  barracks. 
Ten  minutes  later  the  regiment  was  on  the 
wharf,  the  men  wearing  the  blue  shirts,  brown 
trousers  and  leggins  which  they  wore  when 


1 82       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

charging  through  the  jungles  and  over  the  rice 
fields  in  the  Philippines.  The  mascot  detach- 
ment was  not  so  easily  landed. 

"  Here,  Walker,  take  this  monkey,"  shouted 
a  corporal. 

"  Grab  that  goat  quick,  he  is  going  over- 
board." 

"  Lend  me  a  hand  here,  you  privates;  let's 
get  this  menagerie  ashore,"  commanded  the 
officer  of  the  day. 

Order  reigned  about  two  seconds  when 
"  Monkey  overboard  "  turned  order  into  chaos. 
Twenty  men  rushed  to  the  edge  of  the  wharf 
and  strenuous  efforts  were  made  to  save  the 
life  of  the  little  brown  fellow  who  had  toppled 
off  the  gang  plank.  Ropes  were  carried  from 
every  corner  of  the  wharf,  but  the  efforts  of 
the  men  were  unavailing  and  the  monkey  lost 
his  life.  The  other  monkeys,  the  parrots,  the 
dogs  and  the  goat  were  safely  landed.  The  goat 
chews  tobacco  and  eats  it  too. 

The  Oregon  band  struck  up  "  Home  Sweet 
Home "  in  quick  time  and  the  march  to 
the  Presidio  began. 

For  an  hour  or  more  a  man  near  me  had  been 
talking  in  a  pessimistic  way  about  the  war.  He 
said  this  Philippine  scuffle  didn't  amount  to 


San  Francisco  183 

much  anyway.  What  did  we  want  with  their 
old  islands,  anyhow  ?  We  ought  to  return  them. 
It  was  a  violation  of  the  constitution  to  keep 
them. 

Ten  minutes  later  he  was  saying,  "  I  can't 
stand  it,"  as  platoon  after  platoon  went  by  with 
decimated  ranks.  One  platoon  had  left  nearly 
every  man  in  the  Philippines. 

There  were  others  who  "  couldn't  stand  it." 
"  Home  Sweet  Home  "  sounded  like  a  mock- 
ery. Up  the  street  trudged  these  boys  in  blue, 
travel  stained  and  weary,  bearing  the  flag  with 
holes  in  it,  holes  made  by  the  death-winged 
bullets  of  the  Filippinos.  How  gaunt  and  sick 
they  looked.  War  had  not  been  play  with 
them.  Not  many  cheers  were  heard.  There 
were  more  "  God  bless  you  boys  "  than  "  Hur- 
rahs." 

Other  bands  may  play  better,  other  bands 
may  play  louder,  but  none  ever  played  more  ef- 
fectively than  the  Oregon. 

Three  big  flags  flung  their  folds  to  the  ocean 
breeze  as  the  regiment  marched  up  the  street. 
One  of  them  was  a  dazzle  of  blue  and  gold  and 
one  bright  and  new,  but  one  was  the  real  Old 
Glory,  torn  by  shot  and  shell,  raveled  and 
frayed  by  the  Philippine  winds.  It  was  the 


184      A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

battle  stained,  tattered  emblem  of  our  country's 
honor  that  received  the  heartiest  cheers  and 
warmest  welcome.  This  was  the  flag  that 
brought  the  mist  before  the  eyes  and  brought  to 
the  mind  Decatur's  noble  toast,  "  Our  country. 
In  her  intercourse  with  foreign  countries  may 
she  always  be  right;  but  right  or  wrong,  our 
country. " 

On  stretchers  borne  by  the  ambulance  corps 
came  the  sick  and  wounded.  A  great  contrast, 
these  war-worn  soldiers,  to  the  spick  and  span 
Sixth  Cavalry  which  escorted  them. 

Right  royally  did  the  Queen  of  the  Golden 
Gate  welcome  home  Oregon's  noble  sons. 

Passing  the  Examiner  building  nearly  a  mil- 
lion firecrackers  which  decorated  the  building, 
hanging  in  great  loops  and  festoons,  were  set 
off.  In  the  midst  of  this  noise  some  one 
threw  out  a  big  boquet  of  American  Beauty 
roses.  A  soldier  caught  them  and  sniffed  their 
fragrance.  "  They're  American  Beauties, 
boys,"  he  said  and  passed  them  on.  Up  and 
down  the  line  went  those  roses,  each  man  bury- 
ing his  face  in  them  for  a  moment,  then  passing 
them  on  to  his  brother.  When  they  had  passed 
the  rear  line  they  were  handed  to  the  next  pla- 


San  Francisco  185 

toon,  and  so.  they  went  on  down  that  battle- 
scarred  line. 

The  little  Filippino  boy,  Manuel  Robels,  who 
accompanied  the  boys  home,  caught  nearly 
every  eye  as  he  trudged  along,  a  sawed-off 
Mauser  rifle  over  one  shoulder  and  an  Ameri- 
can flag  over  the  other.  Flowers  were  showered 
on  him  too. 

Out  at  Van  Ness  street  General  Shafter  sat 
on  horseback  with  his  staff,  to  review  the 
troops. 

Just  beyond  the  place  of  review  a  company  of 
wee  tots  with  military  hats  and  lath  guns  stood 
at  the  edge  of  the  side-walk  and  presented  arms. 
All  that  gallant  regiment,  from  the  colonel  to 
the  little  Filippino  boy,  returned  the  salute  of 
those  patriotic  tots. 

Thus  the  noble  Second  regiment  of  the  Ore- 
gon Volunteers  marched  out  to  the  Presidio  and 
to  Fame's  eternal  camping  ground. 

The  Presidio,  now  the  United  States  bar- 
racks, was  established  by  the  Spaniards  in 
1776.  Little  dreamed  they  that  out  of  this  camp 
would  come  one  hundred  years  later  a  conquer- 
ing host. 

The  camp  is  delightfully  located  on  the  bay 


1 86       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

north  of  the  city.  The  grounds  include  a  thou- 
sand acres.  The  officers'  quarters  are  neat,  cosy 
cottages.  The  long  porches  and  verandas  of  the 
barracks  are  covered  with  vines  and  roses. 
Rows  upon  rows  of  flowers  such  as  only  grow 
in  this  moist  climate  decorate  the  walks  on 
either  side. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

CALIFORNIA  FARMS  AND  VINEYARDS 

WHAT  temperament  is  to  a  man,  that  climate 
is  to  a  country.  The  climate  of  California  is 
one  of  the  most  delightful  in  the  world. 

California  possesses  the  wealth  of  two  zones. 
The  ocean  current  gives  it  a  temperate  climate 
and  the  mountain  ranges  intercepting  and  re- 
flecting the  sun's  rays  give  California  a  climate 
distinctly  her  own. 

Fine  fruit  farms  surround  San  Francisco 
for  fifty  miles.  Irrigation,  combined  with  a 
genial  climate,  produces  the  delicious  fruit  for 
which  California  is  justly  famed.  In  the  vine- 
yards the  vines  are  pruned  low,  from  two  to 
four  feet  high.  The  Leland  Stanford  vineyard 
is  one  of  the  finest  on  the  coast,  the  low  pruned 
vines  with  their  dark  green  leaves  and  rich  pur- 
ple fruit  making  a  fine  contrast  to  the  red  brown 
soil. 

California  produces  more  wine  to  the  acre 
than  any  other  country  in  the  world.    The  best 
187 


1 88       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

American  wines  come  from  Sonoma  county, 
the  Asti  of  America,  where  a  thousand  foot- 
hills are  planted  in  choice  wine  grapes,  and 
where  nature  supplies  all  the  moisture  necessary 
to  perfectly  ripen  the  fruit. 

The  vines  are  planted  eight  feet  apart,  inter- 
sected by  wide  avenues,  down  which  the  wagons 
pass  in  gathering  up  the  boxes  into  which  the 
pickers  have  tossed  the  ripe  grapes — only  well 
ripened  grapes  make  good  wine.  Many  of  these 
roadways  are  lined  on  either  side  with  olives, 
palms  and  other  semi-tropical  plants. 

The  pickers  are  mostly  Swiss  and  Italian, 
men  of  practical  experience  in  their  own  coun- 
tries. They  work  in  groups  and  keep  up  a  run- 
ning fire  of  jest  and  fun;  ever  and  anon  a  happy 
heart  breaks  out  in  native  song. 

Pitchers  of  rude  crockery  are  scattered  about 
filled  with  wine  for  the  workers. 

From  San  Diego  to  Dutch  Harbor  w'ne 
flows  freely,  but  yet  there  is  no  drunkenness  to 
speak  of. 

The  interest  in  a  vineyard  centers  in  the 
winery  and  the  wine  cellars.  The  grapes  are 
first  picked  from  the  stems,  then  thrown  into 
the  great  crushers,  the  juice  flowing  away 
through  flumes  to  the  fermenting  vats.  Asti 


EARLY  MORNING,  YOSEMITE  VALLEY. 


California  Farms  and  Vineyards   189 

boasts  the  largest  wine-tank  in  the  world.  It  is 
dug  out  of  the  soft  stone  which  abounds  in  this 
country  and  lined  with  a  thick  layer  of  cement. 

No  less  interesting  is  the  cool,  fragrant  wine 
cellar.  Here  immense  casks  made  of  red  wood 
stand  upright,  holding  some  of  them,  thirty 
gallons  of  wine. 

When  California  was  wild,  the  entire  state 
was  one  sweet  bee  garden.  Wherever  a  bee 
might  fly,  within  the  confines  of  this  virgin 
wilderness,  from  forest  to  plain,  from  moun- 
tain to  valley,  from  leafy  glen  to  piny  slope, 
chalices  laden  with  golden  nectar  greeted  him. 

Those  halcyon  days  of  our  humble  brown 
friend  are  past.  The  plow  and  the  sheep  have 
played  havoc  with  those  once  beautiful  gardens. 
Now  the  lonely  bee  who  would  his  trade  pursue 
must  fly  far  afield. 

Traveling  east  and  south  from  San  Fran- 
cisco, the  fruit  ranches  are  soon  left  behind  and 
we  enter  the  wheat  district.  Here  we  find  no 
irrigation  ditches.  Every  farm  has  a  wind-mill, 
which  pumps  water  for  the  stock  and  also  for 
the  orchard  and  garden.  The  yield  of  wheat  is 
low,  averaging  only  about  twenty-five  bushels 
to  the  acre. 

This  wheat  is  not  used  in  the  United  States, 


1 90       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

being  of  a  lower  grade  than  Minnesota  and  Da- 
kota wheat.  It  is  shipped  to  the  eastern 
markets,  China,  Japan  and  the  Philippines. 

We  traveled  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
through  this  district  during  the  harvest. 
The  combined  harvester  and  thresher,  drawn 
by  forty  mules,  cuts  a  wide  swath,  threshes 
the  grain  at  once,  sacks  it  and  clumps 
it  on  the  ground  ready  for  shipment. 
The  wheat  ripens  during  the  dry  season  and  so 
thoroughly  that  it  can  be  threshed  immediately 
after  cutting.  As  the  farmer  has  no  fear  of 
rain  at  this  time  of  the  year,  he  lets  the  sacks 
lie  in  the  field  until  he  is  ready  to  sell. 

The  islands  of  the  San  Joaquin  river  are 
wonderfully  fertile  and  many  of  them  are  under 
cultivation.  The  uncultivated  islands  produce 
every  year  a  dense  growth  of  bulrushes.  Ef- 
forts have  been  made  to  utilize  these  in  various 
ways. 


WAWONA  VALLEY. 


CHAPTER  XV 

YOSEMITE 

LEAVING  the  San  Joaquin  valley  and  its  vast 
wheat  fields  we  take  the  stage  at  Berenda  and 
head  direct  for  the  snow-capped  Sierras.  Gold 
mines  now  claim  attention  and  we  stop  at  Grub 
Gulch.  "  The  diggins  "  here  are  not  very  rich 
and  we  journey  on  over  the  low  foot  hills  to 
King's  Gulch,  where  a  rich  quartz  lode  is  be- 
ing profitably  worked  by  electricity. 

The  drowse  of  a  July  noontide  is  in  the  air. 
Rattlesnakes  wriggle  through  the  short,  dry 
grass.  The  Indians  say  that  for  every  man  a 
rattlesnake  kills  he  gains  a  rattle.  Most  minds 
become  panic  stricken  at  the  sight  of  a  rattle- 
snake. Not  so  poor  Lo,  he  slays  his  enemy  and 
counts  his  rattles. 

Three  hundred  miles  southeast  of  San  Fran- 
cisco in  the  Sierra  Nevada  mountains  lies  the 
beautiful  valley  of  Ahwahne,  where  Diana  her- 
self might  deign  to  follow  the  chase,  for  noble 
game  roam  these  Arcadian  wilds,  where  giant 
191 


192       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

sugar  pines  and  silver  firs  lend  beauty  to  the 
landscape. 

Higher  up  and  nearer  the  heart  of  the  moun- 
tains lies  another  lovely  vale  called  the  Indian's 
Wawona.  where  dwelt  Naiads,  Fauns  and  all 
their  kindred  tribe, 

"  Upon  a  time,  before  the  fairy  broods 
Drove  Nymph  and  Satyr  from  the  prosperous  woods, 
Before   King  Oberon's  bright   diadem. 
Scepter  and  mantle  clasp'd  with  dewy  gem. 
Frighted  away  the  Dryads  and  the  Fauns 
From  rushes  green  and  brakes  and  cowslipped  lawns." 

—KEATS. 

Here  Jove  himself  treads  not  and  forbears  to 
hurl  a  thunderbolt. 

A  bird's  flight  beyond  this  playground  of  the 
fairies,  deep  in  the  shady  wood  of  the  great 
sugar  pines  of  Mariposa  county  are  the  giant 
Sequois,  "  the  big  trees."  The  Indians  called 
them  Waw  Nonas,  Big  Trees. 

Five  thousand  years  ago  they  struck  their 
tiny  roots  deep  into  the  soil  of  the  mountains. 
Before  Columbus  was  born  they  tossed  their 
giant  branches  against  the  mountain  storms. 
They  have  seen  the  passing  of  the  Indian  and 
the  coming  of  the  white  man. 

In  the  aeons  of  past  centuries  there  were  about 
thirty  species  of  this  genus  scattered  over  the 


OLDEST  LOG  CABIN  IN  THE  SEQUOIA  GROVE,  MARIPOSA  COUNTY 
CALIFORNIA.     OLD  COLUMBIA  IN  THE  FOREGROUND. 


Yosemite  193 

earth.  In  Asia  fossilized  specimens  of  cones, 
foliage  and  wood  have  been  found.  To-day 
there  are  but  two  living  specimens  of  these  trees 
on  earth,  the  Sequoia  gigantea  and  the  Sequoia 
sempervirens,  or  redwood.  The. former  are  to 
be  found  only  in  the  Sierras,  while  the  latter 
grows  only  on  the  Coast  range,  and  all  in  Cali- 
fornia. The  largest  tree  in  the  Sequoia  grove 
in  Mariposa  county  measures  one  hundred  and 
eighty  feet  in  circumference  and  three  hundred 
and  sixteen  feet  in  height. 

This,  the  largest  tree  in  the  world,  has  been 
named  Columbia. 

The  YoSemite,  the  most  wonderful  of  all 
valleys,  lies  hidden  deep  in  the  heart  of  the 
Sierras.  It  detracts  something  from  the  ro- 
mance of  the  musical  Spanish  when  one  learns 
that  YoSemite  is  only  Spanish  for  grizzly  bear. 
The  first  white  men  to  enter  the  valley  were 
looking  for  bear,  not  scenery. 

This  wonderful  valley,  this  marvelous  gorge, 
"  touched  by  a  light  that  hath  no  name,  a  glory 
never  sung,"  is  a  puzzle  to  geologists.  It  is  a 
granite-walled  chasm  in  the  very  heart  of  the 
mountains.  The  solid  rock  walls  have  split  in 
half,  one-half  dropping  out  of  sight,  leaving 
only  this  beautiful  valley  to  tell  the  tale. 


194       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

Down  the  dark,  frowning  walls,  which  rise 
sheer  from  three  to  five  thousand  feet, 
plunge  numerous  waterfalls  which  leap  two 
thousand  feet  at  a  bound.  Through  the 
valley  flows  the  Merced  river.  Its  water, 
clear  as  crystal,  is  full  of  that  most  delicious 
of  all  fish,  mountain  trout.  A  most  pellucid 
stream  does  not  flow  on  this  continent.  Up  in 
the  mountain  the  Merced  river  is  a  wild,  roar- 
ing torrent,  but  through  the  valley  it  flows 
placidly  over  its  white  pebble  bed,  bathing  the 
brown  roots  of  the  trees  that  fringe  its  banks. 
The  trout  float  lazily  along,  leaping  up  to  catch 
the  insects  that  fly  over  the  water,  or  sleeping 
in  quiet  pools  and  shady  nooks  along  the  bank. 
Here  the  cook  drops  his  line  out  of  the  kitchen 
window  and  hooks  trout  for  our  breakfast. 

The  air  is  fragrant  with  the  odor  of  many 
blossoms.  The  murmur  of  YoSemite  falls  lulls 
one  to  sleep  as  it  goes  leaping  clown  five  thou 
sand  feet  over  the  granite  wall  to  the  pool  be- 
low, clashing  with  spray  the  flowers  that  bloom 
on  its  banks. 

YoSemite  is  truly  a  valley  with  little  sugges- 
tion of  the  canon  about  it.  The  Half  Dome 
towering  high  above  almost  conceals  the  trench 
of  the  river,  and  the  gorge  of  Tenaya  creek. 


HALF  DOME  AND  MERCED  RIVER. 


Yosemite  195 

Several  thousand  broad  acres  spread  out  in  a 
level  tract  on  its  long  narrow  bottom. 

El  Capitan  is  the  monarch  of  the  world  of 
rocks.  A  solid  mass  of  granite,  towering  sky- 
ward three-fifths  of  a  mile,  barren  except  for 
one  lone  tree,  an  alligator  pine,  one  hundred 
and  twenty-seven  feet  high,  growing  on  a  nar- 
row ledge,  in  a  niche  a  thousand  feet  above  its 
base.  Its  rugged  face,  one  and  one-half  miles 
across,  kissed  to  a  soft  creamy  whiteness  by  the 
suns  of  summer  and  the  snows  of  winter.  That 
is  El  Capitan,  the  wonder  of  the  world.  The 
Indians  call  it  Tutockahnulah,  in  honor  of  their 
greatest  chief. 

Scarred  and  hoary,  the  Three  Brothers  stand 
like  severe  hierophants,  looking  down  into  this 
mysterious  vale. 

That  marvel  of  lakes,  Mirror  lake,  called  by 
the  Indians  Sleeping  Water,  adds  beauty  to  this 
wonderful  valley,  so  placid,  so  clear  the  water 
that  the  rocky  wall  and  every  tree  and  shrub 
on  its  banks  lie  on  the  bosom  of  the  water  as 
if  reflected  in  a 'mirror. 

"  Aloft  on  sky  and  mountain  wall  are  God's 
great  pictures  hung/' 

The  legend  of  the  lovely  falls  called  Bridal 
Veil  runs  in  this  wise : 


196       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

Centuries  ago  there  lived  in  this  valley  one 
Tutockahnulah  and  his  tribe.  One  day  while 
out  hunting,  he  met  the  spirit  of  the  val- 
ley, Tisayac.  From  that  moment  he  .  knew 
no  peace.  He  neglected  his  people  and 
spent  his  time  in  dreaming  of  lovely  Tisayac. 
She  was  fair,  her  skin  was  white  and  the  sun 
had  kissed  her  hair  to  a  golden  brown.  Her 
eyes  reflected  heaven's  own  blue.  Her  silvery 
speech  like  a  bird's  song  led  him  to  her,  but 
when  he  opened  his  eyes  she  vanished  into  the 
clouds. 

The  beautiful  YoSemite  valley  being  ne- 
glected by  Tutockahnulah,  became  a  desert  and 
a  waste.  When  Tisayac  returned  she  wept  at 
the  sight  of  her  beloved  valley.  On  the  dome 
of  a  mighty  rock  she  knelt  and  prayed  the  Good 
Manitou  to  restore  the  valley.  In  answer  to  her 
prayer  the  Great  Spirit  spread  the  floor  of  the 
valley  with  green  and  smiting  the  mountains 
broke  a  channel  for  the  melting  ice  and  snow. 
The  waters  went  leaping  down  and  formed  a 
lake.  The  birds  again  sang  and  the  flowers 
bloomed.  The  people  returned  and  gave  the 
name  Tisayac  to  the  great  rock  where  she 
had  knelt. 


MERCED  RIVER,  YOSEMITE  VALLEY, 


Yosemite  197 

When  the  chief  came  home  and  learned  that 
Tisayac  had  returned  to  the  valley  his  love 
grew  stronger  day  by  day.  One  morning  he 
climbed  to  the  crest  of  a  rock  that  towers  three 
thousand  feet  above  the  valley  and  carved  his 
likeness  on  it  that  his  memory  might  live  for- 
ever among  his  people.  There  is  to  this  day  a 
face  on  this  rock,  but  whether  carved  there  by 
the  hand  of  man  or  by  nature  in  some  of  her 
wild  moods,  remains  a  mystery. 

Resting  at  the  foot  of  the  Bridal  Veil  Falls, 
one  evening  Tutockahnulah  saw  a  rainbow 
arching  around  the  form  of  Tisayac.  She  beck- 
oned him  to  follow  her.  With  a  wild  cry  he 
sprang  into  the  water  and  disappeared  with 
Tisayac.  Two  rainbows  now  instead  of  one 
tremble  over  the  falling  water. 

At  the  upper  end  of  the  valley  stands  a  giant 
monolith  two  hundred  feet  in  height,  called  by 
the  Indians,  Hummoo,  the  Lost  Arrow. 

Many  thousands  of  snows  ago  before  the 
foot  of  white  man  had  trod  these  romantic 
wilds  there  dwelt  in  this  valley  the  Ahwahnes, 
the  fairest  of  whose  daughters  was  Teeheeneh. 
Her  hair,  black  as  the  raven's  wing,  unlike  that 
of  her  sisters,  fell  in  ripples  below  her  slender 


198       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

waist.  Her  sun-kissed  cheeks  and  teeth  like 
pearls  added  beauty  to  a  form  graceful  as  that 
of  a  young  gazelle. 

Kossookah,  the  bravest  and  handsomest  war- 
rior of  his  tribe,  came  a  wooing  the  beautiful 
princess,  wooed  and  won  her. 

All  that  delightful  summer  time  these  two, 
favored  of  the  gods,  rambled  over  the  moun- 
tains. 

The  wild  torrents  sang  of  the  love  of  Kos- 
sookah, the  brave,  for  Teeneeneh,  the  beautiful. 
The  river  murmured  it;  the  lonely  mountains 
echoed  the  refrain;  the  very  leaves  of  the 
trees  whispered  it.;  the  plumy  children  of  the  air 
gossiped  about  it,  while  each  sun  of  the  starry 
sky  repeated  the  story, 

Time  sped  on  golden  wings,  the  mountains 
took  on  autumn  tints,  winter  was  approaching. 
Every  member  of  the  tribe  lent  a  hand  to  assist 
in  building  a  wigwam  for  the  fair  princess  and 
her  knight. 

The  nuptials  were  to  be  celebrated  with  many 
ceremonies  and  a  great  feast.  Teeheeneh  as- 
sisted by  her  companions  would  grind  the 
acorns  into  flour  for  the  wedding  cakes  and 
gather  nuts,  herbs  and  autumn  leaves  with 
which  to  garnish  and 'decorate  the  tables;  while 


YOSEMITE  FALLS. 


Yosemite  199 

Kossookah  with  the  chosen  hunters  of  his  tribe 
would  scale  the  cliffs  or  climb  the  walls  of  the 
canon  to  the  mountain  fastness  in  search  of 
game. 

The  primitive  home  is  completed.  Kos- 
sookah and  his  braves  depart.  At  set  of  sun  he 
wrill  repair  to  the  head  of  the  YoSemite  falls 
and  report  the  success  of  the  hunt  to  Teeheeneh 
who  would  climb  the  rocks  to  the  foot  of  the 
falls  to  receive  it. 

The  messenger  was  to  be  an  arrow  to  which 
Kossookah  would  attach  feathers  of  the  grouse. 
From  his  strong  bow  he  would  speed  it  far  out 
that  Teeheeneh  might  see  it,  watch  for  its  fall- 
ing, recover  it  and  read  the  message. 

The  day  was  propitious.  Seldom  did  an  ar- 
row miss  its  mark.  Evening  came  and  the 
hunters  had  more  game  than  they  could  carry 
down  in  one  trip. 

Long  ago  in  another  clime  Plautus  said, 
"  whom  the  gods  love  die  young. " 

Kossookah,  proud  of  his  success,  repaired  to 
the  edge  of  the  cliff  beyond  the  falls,  prepared 
the  arrow,  set  it  against  the  string  of  buffalo 
hide,  stepped  foward,  when  the  cliff  began  to 
tremble  and  went  down,  carrying  the  brave 
Kossookah  with  it. 


2OO       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

Long  and  lovingly  did  Teeheeneh  wait  for 
the  signal.  Night  wrapped  the  mountains  in 
gloom,  but  still  Teeheeneh  waited  and  won- 
dered. Could  Kossookah  be  dead?  Had  the 
chase  led  him  so  far  away  that  he  could  not 
return  in  time  to  keep  his  word  to  Teeheeneh? 
He  might  even  now  be  coming  down  the  In- 
dian canon. 

This  new  thought  lent  hope,  and  hope  wings 
to  the  flying  feet  of  Teeheeneh.  From  rock  to 
rock,  from  ledge  to  ledge  she  sped  with  tireless 
feet,  escaping  many  perils  she  reached  the  foot 
of  the  cliff. 

Finding  no  trace  of  Kossookah  she  paced  the 
sands  all  the  long  weary  night,  hoping  against 
hope  that  every  hour  would  bring  some  tidings 
of  her  beloved. 

The  pain  at  her  heart  increased  with  the 
hours,  as  she  sang  in  the  low  soft  voice  of  her 
race  a  passionate  love  song.  The  gray  dawn 
found  her  still  pacing  the  sands. 

Now,  like  a  deer  she  springs  over  the  rocks 
and  up  the  steep  ascent  to  the  spot  from 
wrhence  the  signal  arrow  was  to  wing  its  way  to 
her  feet. 

Ah,  there  were  tracks  in  the  sand,  his  tracks, 
but  her  call  was  answered  only  by  the  echo  of 


EL  CAPITAN. 


Yosemite  201 

her  own  sad  voice.  A  new  fracture  marked  a 
recent  cleavage  in  the  rocks.  Could  it  be,  Oh, 
Great  Spirit  could  it  be  that  her  beloved  had 
gone  down  with  the  rocks  and  perished.  Her 
heart  was  almost  stilled  with  agonizing  fear. 
She  faltered  a  moment  only.  Gathering 
courage  she  leaned  over  the  edge  of  the  cliff. 
There,  stilled  in  death,  lay  the  form  of  Kossoo- 
kah,  in  a  hollow  at  the  base  of  the  monolith. 

The  shock  had  cleared  her  mind.  Hastily 
and  with  steady  hands  now  she  builds  a  signal 
fire  on  the  rocky  cliff.  The  fire  by  its  intensity 
interpreted  in  the  light  of  Indian  signal  fires, 
calls  for  aid  in  distress.  Slowly  the  hours 
drag  by.  At  last  help  arrives.  Young  saplings 
of  tamarack  are  lashed  together,  end  to  end, 
with  thongs  of  deer  skin.  When  all  is  ready 
Teeheeneh  springs  forward  and  begs  that  no 
hands  save  hers  shall  touch  her  beloved  dead. 
Slowly  strong  hands  lower  her  to  the  side  of  the 
prostrate  form  of  Kossookah. 

Kissing  the  pale  lips  of  the  dead  warrior 
Teeheeneh  unbinds  the  deer  thongs  from  about 
her  own  body.  Silently  and  deftly  she  winds 
them  about  the  prostrate  form  of  Kossookah. 
At  a  signal  from  Teeheeneh  the  lifeless  body 
is  drawn  up.  Again  the  improvised  rope  is 


202       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

lowered.  Teeheeneh  nervously  clutches  the 
pole,  puts  her  foot  in  the  rawhide  loop  and 
waves  her  hand  as  a  signal  to  be  drawn  up. 

Long  and  silently  she  gazes  into  the  once  love 
lit  eyes  of  her  dead  hero.  Her  slight  body 
sways  and  trembles  like  a  reed  swept  by  the 
wintry  wind.  Still  silent,  she  sinks  quivering 
on  the  bosom  of  her  beloved.  Gently  they  raise 
her,  but  her  heart  had  broken  and  her  soul 
taken  its  flight. 

The  fateful  arrow  was  never  found.  The 
Indians  say  that  it  was  spirited  away  by  Tee- 
heeneh and  Kossookah  and  kept  by  them  as 
a  memento  of  their  plighted  troth  and  the  close 
of  their  life  on  earth. 

On  gossamer  floats,  their  souls  were  carried, 
by  unseen  hands  over  the  mountains  to  the 
Elysian  Plains  beyond,  \vhere  there  are  no  pit- 
falls and  no  broken  hearts. 

Hummoo,  the  Lost  Arrow,  still  stands,  a 
monument  to  the  brave  Kossookah. 

See.  "  In  The  Heart  of  the  Sierras,"  by  J.  M.  Hutch- 
ings.  Mr.  Hutchings  lived  twenty-five  years  in  the  Yo- 
Semite  Valley  and  knows  this,  the  most  beautiful,  wild, 
and  romantic  spot  on  the  American  Continent,  in  all  its 
varying  moods  of  summer  calm  and  wintry  storm,  and 
writes  of  it  with  a  loving  and  sympathetic  touch. 


BRIDAL  VEIL  FALLS  AND  THE  THREE  BROTHERS  (SOLID  ROCK). 


Yosemite  203 

Of  all  the  beautiful  places  in  the  world  for  a 
schoolhouse,  surely  "  The  Valley  "  is  the  most 
beautiful.  One  rarely  hears  YoSemite  on  the 
coast.  It  is  always  with  a  lingering  caress  in 
the  voice,  "  The  Valley/'  A  dainty  little  white 
schoolhouse  stands  in  a  grove  on  the  border  of 
a  glade.  Here  school  is  in  session  six  months 
of  every  summer.  The  valley  is  only  seven 
miles  long  and  one  and  a  half  miles  in  width 
at  its  widest  point. 

There  are  usually  only  five  or  six  children  of 
school  age  in  the  valley,  but  in  the  spring  and 
summer  people  come  into  the  valley  to  spend  the 
summer.  Many  camp  while  others  live  at  the 
hotel  and  in  cottages.  In  many  instances  their 
children  have  left  their  home  school  before  its 
close,  and  in  order  to  make  their  grades  for  the 
ensuing  year,  attend  "  The  Valley  School." 

Here  the  student  of  botany  may  find  dainty 
asters,  tiny  wild  peas,  larkspur,  monkey  flow- 
ers, great  ferns,  the  leaves  two  or  three  feet 
long;  wild  poppies,  delicate  sunflowers,  purple 
gilias  and  broad  faced  primroses.  Fiery  cas- 
tillejas  lend  color  to  gray  rocks  and  shady 
nooks. 

Stately  pines,  silver  firs  and  graceful  tama- 


204       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

racks  stand  massy,  tall  and  dark,  make  a  land- 
scape Mercury  himself  might  pause  to  behold, 
no  matter  how  urgent  his  errand. 

The  Manzanita  trees  are  now  loaded  with  fruit. 
Manzanita  is  Spanish  for  little  apple.  The 
fruit  of  the  tree  is  a  perfect  apple  about  the  size 
of  a  gooseberry.  Leather  wood,  a  strange 
shrub  naked  as  to  leaves  but  abloom  with  bright 
yellow  blossoms  grows  up  in  the  mountains. 

For  the  student  of  zoology  there  are  the  bears 
which  have  their  dens  in  the  rocks  a  short  dis- 
tance from  the  school.  Wild  deer  and  lion 
roam  the  mountains,  while  trout  disport  them- 
selves in  the  Merced  river  near  by. 

The  student  of  astronomy  may  see  the  sun 
rise  five  times  every  morning,  and  the  White 
Fire  Maiden,  by  mortals  called  the  moon,  lights 
up  YoSemite  falls  and  the  north  wall  of  the  val- 
ley long  before  she  appears  in  the  blue  sea 
above. 

The  student  in  trigonometry  will  easily  find 
a  summer's  work,  the  geologist  a  life-time 
study,  while  the  anthropologist  will  be  inter- 
ested in  the  few  Indians  who  inhabit  the  valley. 

The  valley  is  not  without  its  early  history 
when  white  man  and  Indian  fought  for  su- 
premacy. 


&AML 


MIRROR    LAKE,  SLEEPING  WATER. 


Yosemite  205 

One  of  the  brightest  pupils  in  the  primary 
class  is  a  little  Indian  girl.  This  daughter  of 
the  red  man  reads  well  and  is  very  proud  of 
her  accomplishment.  She  learned  the  multi- 
plication table  before  the  other  members  of  her 
class,  but  does  not  apply  it  so  readily. 

"  Tempus  Fugit,"  we  bid  farewell  to  Yo- 
Semite,  lovely  vale,  and  take  the  trail  over  the 
mountains.  The  hour  was  morning's  prime. 

Up  we  go  three  thousand  feet,  mules,  guides 
and  tourists,  over  a  narrow  trail  that  runs  along 
the  rocky  ledge  of  the  gorge.  The  purple  at- 
mosphere hangs  like  a  veil  over  the  wild  canon 
down  which  sweeps  the  Merced  river,  dashing 
and  sparkling  over  rocks,  tumbling  over  preci- 
pices or  placidly  flowing  over  its  smooth  rock 
bed. 

Far  above  a  red  flame  swept  and  we  caught 
the  odor  of  Calypso's  fire  of  cedar  wood.  The 
rising  smoke  mingled  with  the  blue  haze  above, 
wrhile  the  fire  swept  on,  leaving  only  the  black- 
ened, charred  remains  of  the  once  green  forest 
to  tell  the  tale. 

Naiads  danced  in  the  sunny  water  and  once 
methought  I  heard  the  soft,  low  strains  of  a 
flute  played  by  a  faun  in  the  cool  shadows  of 
the  trees  which  overhang  the  river's  brink. 


206       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

Not  a  faun  did  we  see,  however,  hut  we  met 
a  fool,  forsooth,  a  motley,  merry  fool.  This  fool 
had  a  silken  scarf  draped  about  his  foolish  head 
to  ward  off  the  warm  glances  of  Old  Sol  as  he 
peered  down  the  gorge  to  see  what  the  fool 
was  about.  He  tripped  lightly  along,  did  this 
merry  fool,  slipping  past  the  sturdy  little  mules 
and  their  riders  on  the  trail  so  narrow  that  one 
foot  of  the  rider  hung  over  the  gorge  below, 
so  narrow  in  many  places  that  one  misstep  of 
the  faithful  little  beast  meant  death  to  himself 
and  his  rider.  Past  the  forty  tourists  went  this 
untiring  fool,  frightening  the  animals  and 
alarming  their  riders  with  his  strange  head- 
dress. 

Where  were  the  guides?  Right  there  say- 
ing things  about  the  fool,  quieting  the  animals 
and  calming  the  fears  of  their  riders. 

When  this  remarkably  agile  fool  had  reached 
the  head  of  the  caravan,  down  he  would  drop  in 
the  shade  of  a  tree,  his  feet  dangling  in  the  dust 
of  the  trail,  his  Turkish  headdress  fluttering  in 
the  breeze,  again  causing  the  weary  climbers 
to  pause.  Not  every  animal  paused  to  look  at 
the  fool,  the  older  ones  were  wiser. 

The  blue  sky,  the  odor  of  the  pines  and  the 
falling,  gurgling,  murmuring  water  lent  an 


YOSEMITE  FALLS,  SHOWING  FLOOR  OF  THE  VALLEY. 


Yosemite  207 

enchantment  to  the  air,  which  made  us  forget 
the  fool,  but  for  a  moment  only.  Here  he  came 
again.  Untiringly  he  followed  us  to  the  sum- 
mit of  the  mountains,  eight  thousand  feet  above 
the  sea,  where  the  soft  ambient  soothes  like  a 
benediction,  and  the  soul  uplifts  in  prayer. 

As  these  high  altitudes  make  many  people 
ill  we  were  advised  to  carry  with  us  a  bit  of  the 
joyful.  Arrived  at  the  summit  a  dainty  flask 
slipped  from  the  folds  of  a  lady's  gown  and  fell 
to  the  earth  with  a  thud.  One  of  the  guides 
picked  it  up  and  gravely  presented  it  to  the 
owner  with  the  remark,  "  Madam,  you  have 
lost  something  valuable." 

As  we  stood  looking  down  through  the  blue 
mist  into  the  YoSemite  below  us — a  landscape 
that  would  have  delighted  the  heart  and  eye  of 
a  Homer — a  quaint  old  lady  who  had  braved 
the  trail  that  she  might  view  the  valley  from 
glacial  point,  exclaimed : 

"It's  lovely,  ain't  it?  Heaven  don't  need 
to  be  no  purtier  and  I  don't  reckon  it  is,  do 
you?  Purty  name,  too,  but  I  never  kin  re- 
member whether  it's  Yo-se-mite  or  Yu-summit. 

A  personally  conducted  party  arrived  just 
ahead  of  us.  Mr.  Personally,  as  we  dubbed  the 
conductor,  was  a  gentleman,  so  he  informed  us, 


208       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

of  many  qualities.  His  voice  was  loud  and 
commanding,  he  was  exceedingly  voluble,  and 
from  the  manner  in  which  he  hurried  his  party 
about  I  should  say  that  he  was  a  man  of  much 
energy. 

He  came  flying  into  the  ladies'  private  bou- 
doir regardless  of  the  confusion  of  shirt  waists, 
ties,  collars  and  riding  habits  that  were  flying 
through  the  air,  commanding  the  ladies  of  his 
party  to  hasten  to  the  dining-room  for 
luncheon. 

That  repast  served,  Mr.  Personally  Con- 
ductor ordered  up  the  stages  which  were  in 
waiting  to  take  us  down  the  mountains  on  the 
other  side.  After  ordering  everyone  else  to 
stand  back  he  ordered  his  party  to  "  climb  in," 
which  they  meekly  did. 

We  sat  under  a  clump  of  silver  firs  thor- 
oughly enjoying  the  scene  and  calm  in  the  con- 
sciousness that  as  the  transportation  company 
had  carried  us  to  the  top  of  the  mountains  it 
was  in  duty  bound  to  carry  us  clown,  either  by 
stage  coach,  mule  back  or  by  rope  and  tackle, 
over  the  rocky  ledge  and  drop  us  three  thou- 
sand feet  to  the  valley  below. 

Two  coaches  were  filled  with  "  personally 
conducted  "  when  the  third  drove  up  to  the  ve- 


SUNRISE  IN  YOSEMITE  VALLEY. 


Yosemite  209 

randa.  Mr.  Personally  not  being  in  sight  the 
driver  requested  us  to  take  seats  in  the  coach, 
as  it  was  growing  late  and  time  we  were  off. 

A  brilliant  man  of  our  party,  a  New  York 
lawyer,  had  just  taken  a  seat  by  the  driver, 
when  that  remarkable  conductor  appeared  and 
sprang  into  the  seat  between  them,  pushing  at 
Mr.  Lawyer  and  calling  lustily  for  Dr.  Bluker, 
who  was  a  member  of  his  party.  The  doctor 
responded  and  grabbed  our  lawyer  friend  by  the 
leg,  attempting  to  pull  him  down. 

Mr.  Lawyer  turned  to  Mr.  Personally,  say- 
ing, "  I  don't  know  who  you  are  sir,  but — " 

"  I  am  a  gentleman,  sir/'  hastily  replied  the 
conductor. 

"  Ah,"  exclaimed  the  lawyer  at  this  astonish- 
ing bit  of  news,  "  I  am  always  glad  to  meet  a 
gentleman/'  and  at  his  wife's  solicitation 
bowed  gracefully,  relinquishing  the  seat  to  Dr. 
Bluker,  a  college  president  who  for  the  moment 
might  have  been  taken  for  Sitting  Bull,  chief 
of  the  Sioux. 

Ah,  good  people, 

"  A  chiel's  amang  you  taking  notes, 
And,  faith,  he'll  prent  it." 


CHAPTER  XVI 

SOUTHERN  CALIFORNIA 

THE  descent  lay  through  groves  of  pine  and 
cedar,  beds  of  beautiful  flowers,  grassy  glades, 
mountain  brooks,  tiny  lakes,  springs  of  ice  cold 
water,  and  acres  and  acres  of  azaleas. 

In  the  center  of  a  green  glade  lay  a  big  brown 
bowlder  surrounded  by  flowers.  Just  under 
the  side  of  this  bowlder  was  a  spring  of  ice  cold 
water. 

Just  as  the  sun  was  sliding  down  the  western 
horizon  beyond  the  snow-capped  peaks  we  ar- 
rived again  in  Wawona.  valley,  where  the 
evening  was  spent  in  telling  stories  and  relating 
adventures. 

"  When  in  London  recently/'  said  our 
lawyer  friend,  "  Chauncey  Depew  told  this 
story : 

"  At  a  hotel  where  he  was  dining  the  wait- 
ress said  to  a  young  man,  '  We  have  blackberry 
pie,  peach  pie,  plum  pie,  strawberry  pie  and  cus- 
tard pie.' 


Southern  California  2 1 1 

"  '  Bring  me  some  plum  pie  and  some  peach 
pie,  yes,  and  I'll  take  some  blackberry  pie/ 
As  the  waitress  turned  to  fill  the  order  the 
young  man  called  her  back,  '  You  may  bring 
me  some  strawberry  pie,  too.' 

"  '  What's  the  matter  with  the  custard  pie?  ' 
inquired  she. 

"  The  next  morning  Mr.  Depew  met  a  young 
Englishman  on  the  street,  who  complimented 
him  on  his  speech,  saying  that  he  really  liked  it 
very,  very  much,  you  know,  but  he  would  like 
to  ask  him  one  question,  '  What  was  the  matter 
with  the  custard  pie  ?  ' 

When  the  laugh  had  subsided  a  young  lady 
in  a  pink  shirt  waist  leaned  forward  in  her 
chair,  and  looking  earnestly  at  the  lawyer, 
softly  inquired,  "  Well,  what  was?  " 

In  the  laugh  which  followed,  the  English- 
man's stupidity  was  lost  sight  of  in  astonish- 
ment at  that  of  the  American  girl. 

"  Excuse  me,"  said  a  well  dressed  lady  to  me 
one  morning  at  the  hotel  in  Wawona,  "  I  am 
a  little  hazy  on  my  geography,  but  what  I  want 
to  know  is  this — if  I  go  to  Denver  will  I  be  in 
Colorado?" 

After  a  week's  fishing,  dreaming  and  rest- 
ing in  this  beautiful  valley,  we  returned  to  the 
coast. 


212       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

All  up  and  down  the  Pacific  coast  as  well  as 
the  islands  of  the  sea  are  wonderful  floating 
gardens.  These  gardens  are  composed  of 
kelp,  which  attached  to  the  bottom  and  to  the 
rocks,  grows  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  feet 
long,  throwing  out  broad  leaves  and  balloon- 
like  air  bulbs  which  support  them.  A  perfect 
forest  of  broad  green  leaves  rise  upward,  pre- 
senting a  sharp  contrast  to  the  blue  water  in 
which  they  grow.  Gracefully  turning  with 
every  movement  of  the  water  they  are  among 
the  most  strikingly  beautiful  objects  of  salt 
sea.  When  near  the  shore  these  huge  plants 
assume  an  upright  position  and  become  floating 
gardens  in  very  truth,  through  which  vessels 
plow  with  much  difficulty. 

The  entrance  to  the  bay  at  Santa  Barbara 
is  a  perfect  maze  of  floating  sea-weed.  The 
leaves  are  covered  with  patches  of  color,  repre- 
senting parasitic  animals,  or  plants,  greens, 
reds,  purples  and  yellows,  a  perfect  maze  of 
color. 

Delicate  sea  anemones  looking  exactly  like 
their  namesakes  on  land.  The  slightest  noise 
causes  them  to  close  up,  withdrawing  their  ten- 
tacles, and  presently  blooming  out  again. 

Here  are  tiny  plant-like  animals  growing  in 


Southern  California  213 

shrub  like  forms.  Wonderful  jellyfish,  too, 
fill  the  ocean  at  night  with  a  phosphorescent 
light. 

In  place  of  birds  and  insects  in  a  sea  garden 
we  find  shell  animals,  crabs  and  fishes  clinging 
to  the  leaves.  Along  comes  a  big  octopus 
throwing  out  his  eight  sucker-lined  arms  in 
search  of  food.  Disturbed,  he  throws  out  an 
inky  fluid,  and  r  while  you  are  searching  the 
black  hole  for  him,  he  slips  away.  Yonder 
comes  a  nautilus  holding  his  shell  high  over  his 
head,  crawling  lazily  along.  Black-hued  echni, 
bristling  with  pins  and  needles  which,  waving 
to  and  fro,  ward  off  their  enemies.  Fish  of 
all  sorts  and  sizes  inhabit  the  sea  garden. 
The  beautiful  gold  and  silver  fishes  gliding  in 
and  out  remind  one  of  the  birds  flitting  from 
tree  to  tree.  In  comes  a  big  fish,  the  king  of  the 
bass,  and  the  "  small  fry  "  scatter  right  and  left. 
At  night  these  strange  gardens  are  aglow  with 
phosphorescent  lights. 

Los  Angeles  has  been  having  a  succession  of 
earthquakes. 

The  houses  in  San  Francisco  as  well  as  other 
coast  towns  are  built  to  withstand  earthquake 
shocks.  On  this  account  very  few  brick  are 
used.  An  earthquake  hotel  is  advertised.  In 


214       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

this  city,  too,  one  may  eat  Pasteurized  ice- 
cream without  fear  of  the  deadly  ptomain. 

An  orange,  as  every  one  knows,  is  a  difficult 
fruit  to  eat  gracefully,  but  I've  learned  how  to 
do  it  in  this  land  of  the  citron.  A  gentleman 
assured  me  that  the  only  proper  place  to  eat  an 
orange  was  in  the  bathtub. 

Up  and  down  the  length  of  this  coast  I've 
not  been  able  to  get  a  decent  lemonade.  Very 
few  places  serve  that  drink  at  all.  Drinks 
there  are  plenty,  but  no  lemonade.  Now  I  know 
what  those  warnings  mean  which  hang  up  in 
every  stateroom  on  the  steamers :  "  Passengers 
strictly  prohibited  from  getting  into  bed  with 
their  boots  on." 

California  is  rich  in  stories  of  her  early  days. 
Just  east  of  San  Francisco  lies  a  narrow  valley 
bordering  on  the  bay  of  San  Pablo.  The  first 
white  man  to  enter  this  valley  was  one  Miguel 
and  his  wife,  who  named  it  El  Hambre  (Hun- 
ger) valley. 

Miguel  built  an  adobe  hut  and  planted  a  gar- 
den. Later  he  started  to  San  Francisco,  for 
supplies.  Madam  Miguel  remained  at  home  to 
tend  the  garden.  Miguel  would  return  in  three 
weeks  and  all  would  be  well. 

Time   passed   slowly   to  the  lonely  woman. 


Southern  California  215 

When  the  three  weeks  had  passed  Emilia 
packed  a  burro  and  started  out  on  the  trail 
which  her  husband  had  taken.  At  night  she 
tethered  the  burro  and  rolled  in  her  blanket 
slept  by  the  roadside.  Dawn  saw  her  on  the 
trail.  The  third  day  her  burro  neighed  and 
was  answered  by  a  donkey  which  proved  to  be 
that  of  Miguel.  Hurrying  on  she  found  her 
husband  lying  on  the  roadside,  dead.  She  re- 
mained there  until  the  sun  set,  then  covered  him 
with  a  blanket  and  returned  home. 

Later  some  traders  wandering  through  the 
valley  found  her  skeleton  in  the  garden.  The 
adobe  still  stands  in  the  now  new  town  of 
Martinez. 

Dick  Brown,  miner  of  Misery  Hill,  was  a 
sort  of  recluse,  who  never  made  any  friends 
among  the  miners  of  the  Eldorado  of  the  west. 

One  day  while  out  prospecting,  a  landslide 
carried  him  down  the  valley  and  buried  him  be- 
neath it.  His  body  was  recovered  and  buried, 
but  his  ghost  walked  nightly  at  the  foot  of  the 
old  shaft. 

A  lazy,  seemingly  good-for-nothing  sort  of  a 
fellow,  Wilson  by  name,  began  work  in 
Brown's  mine.  It  was  a  good  mine  and  paid 
Wilson  well  until  some  one  else  began  working 


2 1 6       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

it.  Every  morning  there  was  evidence  that 
some  one  had  been  at  work  during  the  night. 

One  night  Wilson  loaded  his  rifle  and  waited 
for  his  nightly  intruder.  Hearing  a  noise  he 
started  to  follow  it  up. 

.What  was  that  on  yonder  tree,  which  glowed 
with  a  phosphorescent  light?  Wilson  crept 
nearer.  There,  tacked  on  a  big  tree,  was  a 
notice,  "  D.  B.  his  mine.  Hands  off." 

A  moment  later  the  notice  was  gone. 
As  he  passed  on  he  heard  the  water 
flowing  through  the  sluice  and  the  sound  of  a 
pick  in  the  gravel.  There  stood  Dick  Brown. 
Wilson  raised  his  rifle  and  fired.  A  yell,  and 
the  ghost  of  Dick  Brown  came  flying  after  him 
as  he  ran  down  the  hill. 

The  next  morning  a  pick  and  shovel  were 
found  by  the  roadside  bearing  the  initials 
"  D.  B."  cut  on  the  handle  of  each.  Wilson  de- 
serted the  claim,  but  the  sluice  on  Misery  Hill 
ran  on  for  many  years. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

HERE    AND   THERE    ON    THE    COAST. 

LEAVING  San  Francisco,  a  sail  of  twenty- 
five  miles  brings  us  to  the  grimly  fortified  island 
of  Alcatraz,  the  watch  dog  of  the  Golden  Gate. 

Forty  miles  inland  lies  the  beautiful  Napa 
Valley.  Farm  houses  and  villages  dot  the 
landscape.  Orchards,  vineyards  and  fields  of 
waving  grain  heighten  the  natural  beauty  of 
this  Rasselas  Valley,  rich  in  groves  of  oak  trees 
from  which  depend  festoons  of  mistletoe, 
meadows  and  running  brooks. 

At  the  head  of  this  valley  stands  Mount  St. 
Helena,  once  a  center  of  volcanic  action.  Was- 
nossensky,  the  Russian  naturalist  ascended  to 
its  summit  in  1841,  and  named  it  in  honor  of 
his  empress,  leaving  on  the  summit  a  copper 
plate  bearing  the  name  of  himself  and  his 
companion. 

The  Russians,  with  a  view  to  commercial 
and  political  aggrandisement,  did  a  great  deal 


27.7 


2i 8       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

of  exploring  in  California  in  the  early  days  of 
her  history. 

By  stage  we  travel  through  the  Napa  Valley 
to  the  geyser  fields.  On  either  hand  are  groves 
of  redwood  trees,  cousins  of  the  Giant  Se- 
quoias. In  the  springtime  the  odor  of  the 
buckeye  fills  the  delicious  morning  air,  just  now 
the  handsome  eschscholtzias,  commonly  called 
the  California  poppy,  brighten  the  meadows. 
Here  and  there  lichen  stained  rocks  lend  a 
deeper  tone  to  the  landscape. 

Through  this  valley  of  strange  wild  beauty 
we  arrive  at  the  Devil's  Canon.  The  nomen- 
clature of  this  weird  place  is  something  auda- 
cious and  one  wishes  that  he  might  change  it. 
Here  the  hero  of  the  canon  has  his  kitchen,  his 
soup  bowl,  his  punch  bowl,  and  his  ink  pot.  In 
this  spring  you  might  dip  your  pen  and  write 
tales  of  magic  that  would  rival  those  of  India. 

Here,  one  dreary  night,  a  lonely  discouraged 
miner  who  had  lost  his  way,  sat  in  meditation, 
when  presently  a  strangely  clad  figure  ap- 
proached him.  The  dark  face  wore  a  sinister 
expression,  black  eyes  sparkled  under  villainous 
brows. 

"  Ha,  ha,  ha,"  laughed  the  stranger  when  he 
discovered  the  miner. 


Here  and  There  on  the  Coast  219 

"  What  would'st  thou?  Riches?  Sign  here 
and  they  are  thine,  or  thou  may'st  toss  me  into 
yon  caldron." 

Flinging  aside  the  long  black  cloak  that  en- 
veloped his  figure  he  stood  forth,  his  scarlet 
robes  gleaming  a  fiery  red  in  the  black  night. 

"  Sign  here/'  and  dipping  his  fire  tipped  pen 
into  the  ink  pot  he  thrust  it  into  the  hand  of  the 
astonished  miner,  presenting  a  scroll  of  parch- 
ment for  the  signature. 

"  Ha,  ha,  ha/'  came  in  tones  diabolical,  as  the 
fortune  hunter  seized  the  pen  in  his  eager  grasp. 
Knowing  better  how  to  wield  the  pick  than  the 
pen  he  seized  the  scroll  and — made  the  sign  of 
the  cross. 

His  Satanic  Majesty  gave  an  unearthly  yell, 
seized  the  pen  and  scroll,  and  disappeared  leav- 
ing his  ink-pot  behind. 

The  prevailing  rocks  are  metamorphic,  sand- 
stone, silicious  slates  and  serpentine.  The 
stratification  dips  sharply  to  the  bed  of  Pluton 
Creek. 

There  are  no  spouting  geysers  here,  only 
bubbling  springs,  but  springs  of  beauty  and  in- 
terest. Here  lies  one,  its  waters  a  creamy 
white,  and  yonder  another  whose  waters  are 
deeply  tinged  with  sulphur,  while  those  of  its 


220       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

neighbor  are  as  black  as  the  contents  of  that 
bottle  the  undaunted  Luther  flung  at  the  head 
of  his  Satanic  Majesty  on  that  memorable  day. 

The  waters  of  these  springs  boil  over  and 
mingle  as  they  flow  away.  Steam  jets  hiss  and 
sputter  continually.  Of  the  many  strange 
springs,  pools  and  caverns,  the  Witch's  Caldron 
is  perhaps  the  most  remarkable.  A  very  pit  of 
Acheron,  this  huge  cavern  in  the  solid  rock, 
seventy  feet  in  diameter,  is  filled  to  an  unknown 
depth  with  a  thick  inky  fluid,  that  boils  and 
surges  incessantly.  The  waters  of  these  springs, 
rich  in  sulphur,  iron,  lime  and  magnesia  are 
said  to  rival  in  medicinal  qualities  those  of  all 
the  famous  German  Spas. 

The  geysers  are  $ue  to  both  chemical  and 
volcanic  action;  to  water  percolating  down 
through  the  fissures  of  the  rocks  until  it  comes 
in  contact  with  the  heated  mass  of  hot  lava;  and 
to  water  percolating  through  the  mineral  de- 
posits. 

Suffice  it  to  say  that  you  have  not  seen  Cali- 
fornia until  you  have  seen  the  Napa  Valley, 
and  taken  the  trail  to  Mount  St.  Helena  and  the 
geyser  fields. 

The  very  air  of  this  delightful  country  is 
rife  with  bear  stories.  Stories  in  which  the 


Here  and  There  on  the  Coast  221 

bear  quite  as  often  as  the  hunter  comes  off 
victor. 

A  cowboy,  newly  arrived  in  California,  went 
out  on  a  bear  hunt.  He  went  alone.  He  wanted 
to  kill  a  grizzly. 

He  soon  found  his  bear  and  lassoed  him,  but 
Bruin,  contrary  to  his  usual  custom  of  showing 
fight,  took  a  header  down  a  canon,  horse  and 
rider  in  full  pursuit. 

Upon  nearing  the  foot  of  the  ravine  the  bear 
fell  down.  The  horse  fell  down  and  the  man 
tumbled  down  on  top  of  the  grizzly  which  so 
frightened  him  that  when  the  three  untangled 
themselves  he  set  off  up  the  canon,  and  the  man 
let  him  go.  Glad,  glad  to  the  heart  that  he  was 
gone. 

Assyria  had  her  winged  bull,  Lucerne  has 
her  lion,  and  California  has  her  grizzly. 

The  grizzly  stands  for  California,  and  only 
awaits  some  future  Thorwaldsen  to  perpetu- 
ate him  on  the  walls  of  his  own  rock-ribbed 
canon. 

The  Indians  of  California  were  possessed  of 
many  strange  superstitions  when  the  Francis- 
can Fathers  established  missions  among  them. 

The  Fathers  called  it  "  devil  worship,"  but 
to  the  simple  childlike  mind  of  these  primitive 


222        A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

people  it  was  a  sort  of  hero  worship,  and  the 
wild  child  worshiped  on  despite  the  Fathers. 

The  worship  of  a  god  known  as  Kooksuy 
was  one  to  which  the  Indians  held  with  great 
tenacity.  The  monks  had  forbidden  the  wor- 
ship of  this  deity,  so  Kooksuy  had  to  be  wor- 
shiped in  secret. 

A  lonely,  unfrequented  place  in  the  moun- 
tains was  chosen,  and  a  stone  altar  was  raised 
to  Kooksuy.  This  consisted  of  a  pile  of  flat 
stones  five  or  six  feet  in  height. 

It  was  the  duty  of  every  worshipper  to  toss 
something  onto  the  altar  as  an  act  of  homage. 
This  act  was  called  "  poorish." 

A  Kooksuy  altar  was  a  curious  affair.  The 
foundation  of  stone  was  frequently  hidden 
under  a  mass  of  beads,  feathers  and  shells. 
Even  garments  and  food  found  their  way  to  the 
throne  of  this  strange  deity.  Thus  the  altar 
continued  to  rise  for  no  Indian  would  dare 
touch  a  "  poorish  "  offering. 

The  priests  destroyed  the  altars  and  punished 
the  worshipers,  but  that  did  not  destroy  their 
faith  in  their  god. 

At  the  missions  every  Indian  retired  when 
the  evening  bell  rang.  When  the  good  alcalde 
made  his  rounds  they  had  counted  their  beads 


Here  and  There  on  the  Coast  223 

and  shut  their  eyes.  Ten  minutes  later  half 
a  dozen  dusky  forms  might  be  seen  creeping 
stealthily  along  in  the  shadows  of  the  buildings. 
Arriving  at  the  chosen  spot  a  big  fire  was  built 
around  which  the  faithful  Indians  danced  call- 
ing on  their  god  in  a  series  of  weird  whistles. 

Kooksuy  never  failed  to  appear  in  the  midst 
of  the  fire  in  the  form  of  a  huge  white  dragon, 
but  with  the  destruction  of  his  altars,  the 
neglect  of  his  worshipers  and  fear  of  the  white 
man  Kooksuy  appeared  less  frequently  and 
finally  his  visits  ceased  entirely. 

According  to  the  Indians  the  Great  Manitou 
threw  up  the  Sierra  Nevada  range  with  his  own 
hands.  Then  he  broke  away  the  hills  at  the 
foot  of  the  lake  and  the  waters  drained  into  the 
sea  through  the  Golden  Gate. 

The  clouds  rested  on  the  water  and  the  set- 
ting sun  lit  up  the  Golden  Gate  with  the  glory 
of  the  sea  as  we  steamed  across  the  bay  and 
bade  adieu  to  the  land  of  Pomona  and  her  cit- 
ron groves. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

WALLA  WALLA  VALLEY 

WALLA  WALLA  is  so  named  from  its  abun- 
dant supply  of  water.  Many  little  streams  run 
over  the  surface  and  many  more  under  ground. 
This  valley  is  noted  for  the  richness  of  its  soil, 
which  is  decomposed  lava,  and  its  wonderful 
climate.  This  delightful  climate  is  shorn  of  its 
harshness  by  the  magical  breath  of  the  Chinook 
wind. 

The  principal  crop  here  is  wheat.  A  Walla 
Walla  ranchman  never  thinks  of  planting  any- 
thing else.  The  soil  is  so  easy  of  cultivation 
that  all  he  needs  to  do  is  to  plow  the  ground, 
sow  the  wheat  and  go  fishing  until  it  is  ready 
to  harvest.  Wheat  brings  him  wealth  and 
prosperity. 

Every  year  one-half  of  a  ranch  is  allowed  to 
lie  fallow,  but  an  Illinois  farmer  would  rotate 
crops  instead.     The  fallow  fields,  however,  are 
kept  perfectly  clean  and  free  from  weeds. 
224 


Walla  Walla  Valley  225 

During  the  rainy  season  the  soil,  which  is 
rich  in  potash  and  phosphoric  acid,  stores  up 
moisture  sufficient  to  mature  the  wheat.  Only 
three  pecks  of  wheat  are  sown  to  the  acre,  as 
the  grain  stools  very  much. 

The  average  farm  contains  six  hundred 
acres,  but  there  are  many  ranches  of  from  a 
thousand  to  fifteen  hundred  acres. 

For  cutting  the  grain  the  old-fashioned 
header  is  used,  also  the  ordinary  reaper  and 
binder,  but  the  combined  harvester  and  thresher 
is  the  king  of  reapers.  It  is  drawn  by  from 
twenty-five  to  thirty  mules,  cuts  the  grain, 
threshes  it,  sacks  it,  and  dumps  it  on  the  ground 
ready  for  shipment. 

Wheat  averages  from  twenty  to  thirty 
bushels  to  the  acre.  Some  years  the  average 
is  much  higher.  In  1898  wheat  went  sixty 
bushels  to  the  acre. 

The  price  of  land  runs  from  thirty  dollars  to 
sixty  dollars  per  acre.  Comfortable  homes  and 
green  orchards  dot  the  landscape.  The  or- 
chards, however,  must  be  irrigated.  The  Blue 
mountains  supply  plenty  of  water  for  this  pur- 
pose. 

At     the     experiment     stations     established 


226       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

throughout  the  semi-arid  regions  of  the  west, 
investigation  of  the  excessive  alkali  in  the  soil 
is  being  carried  on. 

In  many  regions*  of  California  and  Utah 
large  tracts  of  irrigated  land  are  practically 
non-productive  because  of  the  presence  of  an 
excess  of  alkali.  Investigation  has  proven  that 
this  is  due  to  excessive  irrigation.  When 
water  is  applied  to  the  soil  it  brings  to  the  sur- 
face when  it  rises,  the  salts. 

In  seeking  a  remedy  for  this  evil  the  ex- 
periment stations  have  demonstrated  that  in 
most  instances  crops  do  not  require  nearly  so 
much  water  as  is  usually  applied  to  them. 
Working  along  practical  lines  in  the  solution  of 
this,  to  the  West,  great  problem,  the  stations 
hope  eventually  to  show  just  what  quantity 
of  water  a  given  crop  in  a  given  locality  re- 
quires. 

The  establishment  of  this  truth  will  save 
much  land  now  under  ditch  and-extend  the  area 
of  irrigation  by  demonstrating  that  more  land 
can  be  supplied  with  water  from  the  available 
supply. 

In  Montana,  Idaho,  Washington  and  the 
semi-arid  districts  of  other  states  experiments 
are  being  carried  on  in  the  line  of  forage  plants. 


Walla  Walla  Valley  227 

In  these  states  success  has  been  quite  satis- 
factory with  the  cow  pea,  which  is  usually 
planted  with  oats.  Red  clover  flourishes  as 
well  here  as  in  the  East. 

Success  in  farming  depends  upon  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  soil,  climate  and  rainfall.  The 
farmers  are  coming  to  depend  upon  the  experi- 
ment stations  for  much  of  this  knowledge. 

Agriculture  was  early  practiced  in  this  val- 
ley, the  Walla  Walla  region  proper  being  part 
of  the  old  Oregon  country.  The  Hudson  Bay 
Company  established  posts  at  the  junction  of 
the  Walla  Walla  and  Columbia  rivers,  at  Fort 
Vancouver  on  the  Columbia  river  and  at  Fort 
Colville  in  the  Colville  valley,  north  of  the 
present  city  of  Spokane.  With  these  people 
agriculture  and  the  fur  trade  went  hand  in  hand. 
In  1828  seven  hundred  bushels  of  wheat  were 
raised  at  Fort  Vancouver  and  in  1829  seventy 
acres  were  under  cultivation  at  Fort  Colville. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

HISTORICAL  REFERENCES 

JUST  as  a  Bede  Bible  and  a  "  quart  of  seed 
wheat "  saved  the  British  Isles  to  Christianity ; 
so  "  the  Book  "  and  another  "  quart  of  seed 
wheat  "  carried  in  by  the  Reverend  Spalding, 
saved  Oregon  to  the  United  States,  notwith- 
standing the  Russian  Bear,  the  British  Lion 
and  the  bull  of  Alexander  the  VI.  in  which  he 
delivered  over  all  North  America  to  Spain. 

"  Good  old  times  those  were  when  kings 
thrust  their  hands  into  the  New  World,  as 
children  do  theirs  into  a  grab  bag  at  a  fair,  and 
drew  out  a  river  four  thousand  miles  long,  or  an 
ocean,  or  a  tract  of  wild  land  ten  or  fifteen 
times  the  size  of  England." 

The  king  of  Spain  sold  Louisiana  to  France 
for  money  to  buy  his  daughter  a  wedding 
present  and  for  one  brief  while  France  had 
hopes  of  planting  her  lilies  in  the  Walla  Walla 
Valley.  France,  however,  had  met  her  Water- 
loo in  America,  on  the  Plains  of  Abraham. 
228 


Historical  References          229 

Then  came  England  denying  the  validity  of 
the  old  Franco-Spanish  title  under  which  we 
claimed  the  Oregon  country,  but  the  same 
policy  that  lost  to  Great  Britain  her  thirteen 
colonies,  lost  to  her  this  princely  domain. 

American  and  English  settlements  contrasted 
strangely.  The  one  emigrant  came  with  his 
traps  and  snares,  the  other  with  his  plow  and 
quart  of  seed  wheat.  The  one  came  for  the 
fortune  which  he  might  carry  out  of  the 
country,  the  other  to  make  a  home  for  himself 
and  his  children.  So,  the  English  trapper  with 
his  snares  and  the  Indian  with  his  pogamoggan 
retreated  before  the  advance  of  American 
civilization. 

In  1836  Mrs.  Whitman,  wife  of  Dr.  Whit- 
man, wrote  from  Fort  Vancouver  that  the 
Hudson  Bay  Co.  had  that  year  four  thousand 
bushels  of  wheat,  four  thousand  bushels  of 
peas  and  fifteen  hundred  bushels  of  oats  and 
barley,  besides  many  root  vegetables,  also  poul- 
try, cattle,  hogs  and  sheep. 

The  metropolis  of  the  valley  is  Walla  Walla. 
It  is  a  well-built  town  having  a  population  of 
several  thousand.  Many  of  the  stores  and  bus- 
iness blocks  are  of  brick.  Its  streets  are  wide. 
In  the  suburbs  is  a  military  post,  also  a  college 


230       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

established  by  the  Congregational  church  in 
honor  of  Dr.  Marcus  Whitman,  the  well  known 
missionary  who  was  massacred  at  his  mission 
near  Walla  Walla  in  1847.  So  died  the  brave, 
patriotic  Whitman. 

In  1813  England,  basing  her  claims  on 
Drake's  discoveries,  captured  Astoria  and  for 
years  kept  her  hands  on  the  Oregon  country, 
to  be  thwarted  at  last  by  one  brave  American. 

The  story  of  Marcus  Whitman's  life  should 
be  enshrined  in  the  heart  of  every  school-boy  in 
America. 

From  the  busy  thriving  city  of  Spokane,  the 
center  of  the  agriculture  empire  of  the  Pacific 
Coast,  to  Missouli  along  the  headwaters  of  the 
Columbia  is  a  most  interesting  journey.  High 
above,  the  grim  Cascades  rear  their  shaggy 
heads.  Magnificent  pines  lift  their  crested 
heads  skyward.  The  Columbia,  "  rock-ribbed 
and  mighty,"  sweeps  on,  now  placidly,  now 
whirling  and  eddying,  tossing  its  waters  up  in 
foamy  spray,  now  breaking  into  white  cascades, 
beautiful  as  Schauffhausen  on  the  noble  Rhine. 
The  rugged  rocks  along  the  shore  are  hidden 
by  festoons  of  grape  and  wild  honeysuckle 
vines,  while  the  bright  salmon  berry  adds  a 
touch  of  color. 


Historical  References          231 

Here  is  a  bit  of  western  fiction,  a  study  in  ev- 
olution that  would  interest  a  Haeckel.  These 
berries  falling  into  the  water  float  away  into 
brown  pools  and  shady  nooks  and  there  change 
into  the  red  fish  known  as  salmon. 

The  gentleman  who  told  me  this  wonderful 
tale  of  magic  assured  me  that  it  was  true,  and 
that  the  Fish  Commission  had  made  a  report  of 
it.  Like  the  tale  of  the  banshee,  however,  he 
had  never  seen  it  but  he  knew  people  who  had. 

Scientific  errors  should  be  corrected,  so  I 
will  give  you  the  facts  about  the  salmon  trout. 
It  was  that  mischievous  god  Loke,  who  to  es- 
cape the  vengeance  of  Thor  hid  himself  in  a 
cave,  but  when  he  heard  the  thundering  voice 
of  that  noble  god, 

"  He  changed  himself  into  a  salmon  trout 
And  leaped  in  a  fright  in  the  Glommen." 

Slippery  as  a  salmon  is  a  common  adage  in 
Norseland. 

The  most  beautiful  spot  in  this  region  is 
Lake  Pend  d'Oreille.  The  scenery  of  this 
lovely  lake  rivals  that  of  Lake  George.  Its 
blue  waters  bathe  the  brown  feet  of  rugger 
mountains. 

It  is  early  morning  on  Lake  Pend  d'Oreille; 


232       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

the  mountain  breeze,  the  gentle  swish  of  the 
water  as  it  laps  the  shore,  the  white, 
graceful-moving  sail-boat  all  entice  you  for 
a  day's  fishing.  Tired  of  this  sport  you 
sail  over  and  rest  under  the  wonderful  Blue 
Slide.  The  mountain  bordering  on  the  lake  at 
this  point  has  crumbled  away,  sending  down  its 
bowlders  into  the  lake.  From  the  boat  you  look 
up  a  smooth  incline  plane  two  thousand  feet, 
above  which  rises  the  precipice  itself  another 
thousand  feet.  The  slide  is  covered  with  a  pale 
blue  clay,  while  the  precipice  itself  is  a  mix- 
ture of  granite  and  clay  tinged  with  iron. 
Large  pines  grow  on  the  very  edge  of  the  preci- 
pice. 

The  junction  of  Clear  Water  and  the  Snake 
rivers  in  Idaho  is  a  place  of  historic  interest. 
We  are  now  in  the  country  traversed  by  Lewis 
and  Clarke. 

The  history  of  the  great  Northwest  is  won- 
derfully fascinating.  The  history  of  no  part  of 
this  great  territory  is  more  tragic  than  that  of 
Montana.  Her  savage  tribes,  her  cosmopoli- 
tan population  called  into  existence  by  her  fur 
trade  and  mining  industry,  all  combined  to  pro- 
duce in  Montana  a  peculiar  phase  of  civiliza- 
tion, but  she  has  beaten  dirks  and  bowie  knives 


ENTERING  HELL  GATE  CANON. 


Historical  References          233 

into  plowshares  and  now  follows  the  gentle  arts 
of  peace.  A  magnificent  mountain  range,  lovely 
valley,  beautiful  river  and  a  delicate,  graceful 
flower — Bitter  Root.  Bitter  Root  is  the  state 
flower  of  Montana  and  lends  its  name  to  the 
river,  mountains  and  valley  of  its  native  heath, 
growing  most  luxuriantly  in  Bitter  Root  val- 
ley. 

This  valley  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  as 
well  as  the  most  productive  in  the  state.  Ly- 
ing at  the  eastern  foot  of  the  Bitter  Root 
Mountains  it  is  shielded  from  the  cold,  west 
winds.  The  climate  is  fine  while  the  soil  in 
most  places  is  rich  and  deep.  Timothy  and 
clover  grow  luxuriantly.  Baled  hay  brings 
from  seven  to  ten  dollars  per  ton  at  the  railroad 
station.  Dairy  farming  and  poultry  raising  are 
profitable  industries.  Butter  sells  at  forty  cents 
per  pound  in  the  winter  and  twenty  cents  in  the 
summer.  Eggs  bring  the  same  price.  Butte, 
Helena  and  other  mining  centers  supply  the 
market  for  Bitter  Root  Valley. 

Bitter  Root  orchards  are  immune  from  dis- 
ease. The  leas  ophis  has  appeared  but  as  yet 
has  done  no  injury.  Bitter  Root  Mountains 
were  the  stronghold  of  the  Nez  Perce  Indians. 

Hell  Gate  canon  is  one  of  the  most  pictur- 


234       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

esque  in  the  Rocky  Mountains.  It  is  wild  and 
beautiful.  Its  fir-clad  slopes  rise  thousands  of 
feet  high.  A  lion  steals  stealthily  along, 
noiselessly  as  Fear  herself,  owl  answers  owl 
from  the  tall  trees,  and  soft  shadows  lend  en- 
chantment to  the  light  of  the  pale  moon  that 
hurries  you  along  like  Porphyro's  poor  guide 
on  the  eve  of  St.  Agnes,  with  agues  in  your 
brain. 

Deer  Lodge  lies  in  a  beautiful  valley,  sun- 
browned  now,  with  just  a  hint  of  autumn's 
grays  and  purples. 

John  Bozeman  was  a  noted  frontiersman  in 
the  early  days  of  Montana.  His  name  is  per- 
petuated by  Bozeman's  pass,  Bozeman's  creek 
and  Bozeman  city,  all  in  Gallatan  valley. 
This  valley,  once  the  bloody  battle-ground  of 
the  Blackfeet,  the  Bannacks,  the  Crows  and  the 
Nez  Perce  Indians  is  now  one  of  the  widest 
known  and  best  cultivated  in  the  state. 

Helena,  the  capital  of  Montana,  is  a  thriving, 
prosperous  city.  Through  the  Gate  of  the 
Mountains  we  enter  a  little  valley  called  Par- 
adise. Like  a  beautiful  dream  this  lovely  val- 
ley lies  in  the  cold  bosom  of  the  rugged  moun- 
tains, which,  looming  high  above,  shield  it  from 
the  wintry  blast. 


LIBERTY  CAP  AND  OLD  FORT  YELLOWSTONE. 


Historical  References          235 

Mighty  canons,  rock-ribbed,  gloomy  and 
dark,  have  been  gouged  out  of  the  very  hearts 
of  the  cold,  gray  mountains  that  pierce  the  blue 
of  heaven.  But  this  sun-lit  vale,  too  fair  for 
the  abode  of  man,  lies  just  as  nature  left  it,  blue 
canopied,  the  cool  green  grass  and  murmuring 
Yellow  Stone. 

The  Devil  in  a  merry  mood  one  day,  coasted 
down  the  mountain  at  Cinnebar,  scorching 
blood  red  a  wide,  smooth  slide  that  would  de- 
light the  daring  heart  of  a  tobogganist. 


CHAPTER  XX 

YELLOWSTONE  PARK 

THE  artist  may  paint  you  a  bit  of  sky,  a  lit- 
tle water,  a  few  trees,  and  mayhap  a  bluebird 
or  a  merry  brown  thrush,  but  can  he  paint  the 
gently  moving  restless  air  or  the  storm  that 
sweeps  down  the  mountainside,  the  murmur, 
the  ripple,  the  roar  of  the  river,  the  whir  of  the 
bluebird's  wing  as  it  rises  to  flight,  or  the 
thrush's  song? 

It  is  beyond  the  power  of  brush  or  pen  to 
paint  the  wilderness,  the  beauty,  the  weirclness, 
the  awful  grandeur  of  this  land  of  Malebolge, 
sulphurous  pits  and  boiling  lakes,  a  fit  dwelling 
place  for  Minos,  infernal  judge;  the  elusive 
beauty  of  a  playing  geyser,  the  iridescent 
sparkle  of  the  water  as  it  leaps  the  rocky  preci- 
pice and  pours  down  the  mountain's  great 
throat,  or  the  diabolical  scene  of  the  famous 
Mud  Geyser  where, — 

"  Bellowing  there  groaned 
A  noise,  as  of  a  sea  in  tempest  torn 
236 


HOTEL  MAMMOTH,  HOT  SPRINGS,  YELLOWSTONE  PARK. 


Yellowstone  Park  237 

By  warring  wings.     The  stormy  blast  of  hell 

With  restless  fury  drives  the  spirits  on, 

Whirled  round  and  dashed  amain  with  sore  annoy. 

When  arriving  before  the  ruinous  sweep, 

There  shrieks  are  heard,  there  lamentations,  moans/' 

With  horrible  groanings  the  thick  sulphur- 
ous mass  is  driven  against  the  sides  of  the  deep 
crater. 

"  Wherefore  delay  in  such  a  mournful  place  ? 
'  We  came  within  the  fosses  deep,  that  moat 
This  region  comfortless,  the  walls  appeared 
As  they  were  framed  in  iron,  we  had  made 
Wide  circuit  ere  we  reached  the  place  where  loud 
The  mariner  (guide)  vehement  cried 
*  Go  forth,  the  entrance  is  here.'  " — DANTE. 

We  had  circled  the  Mammoth  Hot  Springs, 
down  a  way  by  a  ladder  we  entered  the  Devil's 
kitchen.  This  is  a  defunct  geyser.  The  way 
was  dark  and  the  air  hot  as  the  heat  penetrated 
the  walls  from  the  Hot  Springs.  The  water 
of  these  springs  is  rich  in  minerals,  copper,  iron 
and  sulphur.  As  the  water  boils  over  and 
evaporates  it  leaves  deposits  on  the  rims  fret- 
ting them  with  a  delicate  frost  work  of  varied 
and  beautiful  hues.  Cream  and  salmon  deepen- 
ing into  rich  shades  of  red,  brown,  green  and 
yellow. 

The  Cleopatra  Spring  is  one  of  the  most 
beautiful.  Located  on  a  mound  forty  feet  high 


238       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

and  covering  an  area  of  three-quarters  of  an 
acre,  the  deep  blue  water,  the  sparkling  white 
basin  with  its  pale  yellow  frost-fretted  rim 
rivals  the  touch  of  the  artist's  brush. 

Just  below  the  springs  the  broad  level  tract 
in  front  of  the  United  States  barracks  covers 
a  treacherous  burnt-out  area.  We  were  stand- 
ing on  a  veranda  of  the  hotel  observing  the 
maneuvers  when  one  of  the  cavalry  horses 
broke  through  the  thin  crust.  His  rider  recov- 
ered him  and  they  were  off  before  the  treacher- 
ous ground  gave  way.  A  rope  was  brought 
and  the  soldiers  lowered  one  of  their  comrades, 
who  dropped  thirty-five  feet  before  he  struck 
a  landing  place.  Investigation  showed  the  en- 
tire platte  to  be  dangerously  honeycombed. 

Through  the  Golden  Gate  we  enter  King- 
man's  Pass.  The  stupendous  walls  of  golden 
yellow  rock  rise  sheer  hundreds  of  feet  high  on 
either  side. 

Just  as  we  turned  a  point  in  the  road  such 
"  Ohs  "  and  "  Ahs  "  as  the  Rustic  Falls  of  the 
Gardener  River  burst  on  our  sight.  The  river 
falls  sixty  feet  into  a  series  of  shallow  basins 
of  'moss  covered  rock.  To  the  sides  of  the 
basin  cling  wavering  ferns  and  delicate  spray- 
kissed  flowers. 


OLD  FAITHFUL  GEYSER,  YELLOWSTONE  PARK,  JUST  BEFORE 
AN  ERUPTION. 


Yellowstone  Park  239 

The  most  wonderful  mountain  in  the  world 
stands  on  the  shore  of  Beaver  Lake.  A  glass 
mountain  of  pure  jet  black  glass,  rising  sky- 
ward in  basalt  like  columns  from  one  hundred 
to  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet.  The  black  glass 
streaked  here  and  there  with  red  and  yellow 
glistens  in  the  sunshine  as  peak  and  pinnacle 
catch,  imprison  and  reflect  the  sun's  rays. 

Large  blocks  have  become  detached  from 
time  to  time  forming  a  glass  slide  into  the  lake. 
Obsidian  is  a  species  of  lava.  Pliny  says 
this  glass  was  first  found  in  Ethiopia,  but 
the  only  glass  mountain  in  the  world  stands  on 
the  shore  of  Beaver  Lake.  The  Indians  used 
this  glass  for  arrow  heads  and  in  making  sharp- 
edged  tools. 

The  swampy,  lily-padded  margin  of  Beaver 
Lake  is  haunted  by  wild  geese.  This  lake  is 
the  beaver's  own.  These  industrious  little 
animals  constructed  it  by  damming  up  Green 
Creek  for  a  distance  of  two  miles.  Some  thirty 
dams  sweep  in  graceful  curves  from  side  to 
side  each  having  a  fall  from  two  to  six  feet. 

The  geyser  basins  are  places  of  unusual  in- 
terest and  beauty.  No  scene  in  the  park  is 
lovelier  than  these  areas  of  bubbling  pools,  boil- 
ing  lakes  and  steaming  geysers,  at  sunrise, 


240       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

when  the  columns  of  white  steam,  tinged  to  a 
roseate  hue  by  the  rising  sun,  ascending  against 
the  background  of  dark  green  pines.  Pres- 
ently,— 

"  There  came  o'er  the  perturbed  waves 
Loud-crashing,  terrible,  a  sound  that  made 
Either  shore  tremble,  as  if  a  wind 
Impetuous,  from  conflicting  vapors  sprung, 
That  'gainst  some  forest  driving  with  all  his  might, 
Plucks  off  the  branches,  beats  them  down,  and  hurls 
Afar;    then,  onward  passing  proudly  sweeps 
His  whirlwind  rage,  while  beasts  and  shepherds  fly.'' 

— DANTE. 

Thus  warned  we  moved  away  just  as  Old 
Faithful  shot  his  boiling  waters  skyward. 

"  Ask  thou  no  more 
Now  'gin  rueful  wailings  to  be  heard. 
The  gloomy  region  shook  so  terribly 
That  yet  with  clammy  dews  chill  my  brow. 
The  sad  earth  gave  a  blast." 

— DANTE. 

And  steam  and  water  shot  up  a  column 
two  hundred  feet  high.  The  Giant  Geyser  was 
playing. 

"  We  the  circle  crossed 
To  the  next   steep,   arriving  at  a   well 
That  boiling  pours  itself  down  a  foss 
Sluiced  from  its  source." 

— DANTE. 


YELLOWSTONE  LAKE. 


OF 

^/fORNlA^ 


Yellowstone  Park  241 

This  well  is  the  formidable  Excelsior  Geyser 
which  pours  its  waters  into  the  Fire  Hole  River. 

The  Paint  Pots  are  springs  which  boil  in- 
cessantly their  pasty  clay,  which  boiling  over 
hardens,  building  up  a  rim  around  the  pot.  In 
one  group  of  seventeen  pots  are  as  many  differ- 
ent colors. 

The  center  pot  is  a  pearl  gray,  while  grouped 
about  it  are  smaller  pots  of  various  shades  of 
pink,  gray,  chocolate,  yellow,  red,  lavender, 
emerald  and  sapphire  blues  and  white,  mortar 
thousands  of  years  old  that  would  make  the 
heart  of  a  plasterer  glad.  Here  is  a  plaster 
which  when  hardened,  whether  by  sun  or  fire, 
never  cracks. 

Of  a  somewhat  different  character  are  the 
chocolate  jugs  on  the  banks  of  the  Fire  Hole 
River.  These  springs  are  rich  in  iron.  The 
sediment  hardens  as  the  water  pours  out,  build- 
ing up  gradually  a  brown  jug-like  cone. 

The  Blue  Mud  Pot  is  quite  as  interesting  as 
the  Paint  Pots.  Its  circular  basin  is  twenty 
feet  in  diameter.  The  mud  is  about  the  con- 
sistency of  thick  plaster.  This  mud  pot  pre- 
sents a  beautiful  picture  as  the  puffs  of  mud 
burst  with  a  thud-like  noise  giving  off  perfect 
little  rings  which  recede  to  the  sides  of  the 


242       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

crater.  This  spring  is  strongly  impregnated 
with  alum.  In  this  vicinity  is  a  spring  of  pure 
alum  water  and  several  of  sulphate  of  copper. 

These  springs  are  clear  and  deep,  having 
beautiful  basins,  the  rims  of  which  are  lined 
with  incrustations  of  brilliant  colors. 

In  a  gloomy  wood  we  came  to  the  Devil's 
frying  pan,  a  shallow,  hot,  boiling  spring  which 
sputters,  sizzles  and  hisses  equal  to  any  old- 
time,  three  legged  skillet,  sending  out  sulphur- 
ous odors  that  would  delight  the  nostrils  of 
Lucifer  himself. 

Hell's  half  acre  is  quite  as  interesting  as  its 
name.  Here  in  times  gone  by  Excelsior  Gey- 
ser shook  the  earth. 

One  lovely  morning  we  mounted  to  our  seats 
in  the  stage  coach,  the  driver  cracked  his  whip 
over  the  heads  of  the  leaders,  six  creamy  white 
horses  pricked  up  their  ears,  sprang  forward  at 
a  gallop  and  we  were  off"  to  the  Continental 
Divide. 

We  had  just  crossed  a  glade  where  deer  were 
grazing  when  a  hail  storm,  a  mountain  hail 
storm,  overtook  us.  In  five  minutes  the  ground 
was  white,  the  hail  laying  two  inches  deep,  and 
such  hail,  an  Illinois  hail  storm  is  tame  in  com- 
parison. 


CAMPING  ON  THE  SHORE  OF  LAKE  YELLOWSTONE. 


Yellowstone  Park  243 

The  horses  plunged  forward,  the  hail  was 
left  behind,  and  we  paused  on  the  Great  Divide. 
Down  from  this  watershed  the  waters  flow  east 
and  west. 

The  lovely  Lake  Shoshone  comes  into  view 
and  presently  we  are  standing  on  its  shore  look- 
ing down  through  its  blue  waters.  The  eleva- 
tion of  this  lake  is  greater  than  that  of  its  royal 
neighbor,  the  Yellowstone. 

This  most  lovely  of  all  American  lakes,  the 
Yellow  Stone,  is  perched  high  in  the  very  heart 
of  the  mountains,  its  blue  waters  lapping  the 
base  of  cold,  snow-capped  peaks,  rivals  in 
beauty  the  far  famed  Lake  Maggiore. 

On  these  beautiful  shores  fair  Nausicaa 
with  her  golden  ball  might  have  deigned  to 
tread  the  mazes  of  the  ball-dance. 

The  elevation  of  this  lake  is  marvelous  for  its 
size.  Drop  Mount  Washington,  the  highest 
peak  in  the  White  Mountains,  into  the  center  of 
it  and  the  summit  would  be  swept  by  a  current 
half  a  mile  deep. 

This  lake  affords  royal  sport.  Here  are  the 
most  beautiful  fish  in  the  world,  the  rainbow 
trout. 

Through  a  pine-clad  gorge  flanked  by  high 
bluffs  the  impetuous  Yellowstone  River  makes 


244       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

its  way  until  it  leaps  the  great  falls  and  plunges 
down  three  hundred  and  fifty  feet  to  the  canon 
below. 

On  the  sides  of  the  spray-washed  walls  grow 
mosses  and  algae  of  every  hue  of  green,  ochre, 
orange,  brown,  scarlet,  saffron  and  red.  On 
rugged  peaks  are  brown  eagles'  nests. 

The  Grand  Canon  of  the  Yellowstone, 
would  you  describe  this  marvelous  gorge,  lan- 
guage is  inadequate,  words  are  poor. 

Would  you  paint  it,  on  your  palette  place  all 
colors  yet  produced  by  the  ingenuity  of  man. 
Mix  them  with  rainbow  drops.  The  pale  faced 
moon  will  lend  a  shade,  the  stars  another 
and  the  sun  still  another  as  he  drops 
blood-red  down  through  the  mists  of  the  sea. 
Stir  and  mix  with  matchless  skill  until  you  have 
of  colors  half  a  hundred  and  shades  as  many 
more.  Now  boldly  dash  the  stupendous  wralls, 
castles,  pinnacles,  turrets,  columns,  and  mina- 
rets where  already  they  are  gleaming  a  bright 
vermilion  as  they  from  Vulcan's  fiery  fur- 
nace issued  long  ago. 

When  you  have  these  colors  fixed  let  Phae- 
thon  drive  down  the  gorge  in  his  chariot  of  fire 
leaving  behind  the  gleam  and  the  glow  of  it. 

Here,  the  Sioux  chiefs,  crouching  by  their 


PAINT  POTS  ON  SHORE  OF  YELLOWSTONE  LAKE. 


Yellowstone  Park  245 

camp  fires  muttered  their  griefs  and  their  woes. 
Here  Rain  in  the  Face  cried  out  in  revenge, 
revenge  on  the  White  chief  with  the  Yellow 
Hair. 

Yonder  lay  Sitting  Bull  with  his  three 
thousand  warriors  hidden  in  cleft  and  cave. 
Into  the  fateful  snare  dashed  the  White  chief 
with  his  pitiful  three  hundred  men.  Like  a 
mountain  torrent  Sitting  Bull  and  his  braves 
swept  down  upon  that  gallant  band,  and  but  one 
was  left  to  tell  the  story  of  the  Little  Big  Horn, 
but  one  to  tell  of  the  gallant  stand  of  Custer  and 
his  brave  men. 

Only  two  survived  of  all  that  noble  band, 
one,  Curly,  the  half-breed  scout,  and  the  other, 
"  Comanche,"  the  horse  of  Captain  Keogh. 
Comanche  was  found  several  miles  from  the 
battle  field  with  seven  wounds.  He  recovered 
and  the  secretary  of  war  detailed  a  soldier  as  his 
attendant. 

Here,  too,  the  Crow  took  revenge  when 
driven  back  by  the  white  man.  Here  they  peo- 
pled the  boiling,  hissing  springs  and  the  steam- 
ing geysers  with  evil  spirits,  while  beyond  the 
mountains  lay  the  Happy  Hunting  Ground. 

A  small  remnant  of  this  band  gathered  at  the 
head  of  the  Grand  Canon  and  there  resolved 


246       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

with  Spartan  courage  to  die  rather  than  be 
removed  to  a  distant  land  there  to  die  of  home- 
sickness and  longing  for  the  blue  sky  and  the 
breath  of  the  sweet  air  of  their  beloved  moun- 
tains. 

They  built  a  raft  and  set  it  afloat  at  the  foot 
of  the  Upper  Falls  feeling  the  peace  and  se- 
curity that  the  mountains  give,  but  they  were 
rudely  awakened  one  morning  by  the  sharp 
crack  of  the  white  man's  rifle,  the  soldiers  were 
upon  them.  Hastily  boarding  their  raft  they 
pushed  it  out  into  mid-stream.  The  strong 
current  gathered  the  craft  tossing  it  and  pitch- 
ing it  onward  on  its  foamy  crest.  The  soldiers 
gaze  in  wonder,  forgetting  to  fire.  On,  on, 
faster  whirls  that  frail  craft  while  above  the 
wild  roar  of  the  water  floats  the  death  song. 

Beyond,  yawns  a  chasm  three  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  deep,  the  death  chant  is  lost  amidst 
the  roar  of  the  mighty  torrent.  The  hardened 
soldier  shudders  as  that  lone  adventurous  craft, 
freighted  with  the  remnant  of  a  powerful  peo- 
ple, is  gathered  in  the  arms  of  that  mighty 
torrent,  hurled  over  the  brink  and  dashed  to 
pieces  on  the  cruel  rocks  below,  where  the  Maid 
of  the  Mist  washed  white  each  red  man's  soul. 

On  June  twenty-seventh  last,  word  was  tele- 


GRAND  CANON  OF  THE  YELLOWSTONE. 


Yellowstone  Park  247 

graphed  over  the  country  that  a  new  geyser 
had  burst  forth  from  an  old  crater  about  fifty 
feet  from  the  famous  Fountain  Geyser.  The 
eruption  played  from  two  hundred  to  two 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  high. 

Tired,  stage  tired,  we  were  snug  in  comforts 
and  blankets  and  sound  asleep  one  night  in 
August  at  the  Fountain  hotel,  when  about 
twelve  o'clock  gongs  sounded,  bells  rang  and 
porters  went  running  about  pounding  on  the 
doors  and  crying,  what  seemed  to  our  sleepy 
imagination,  "  Fire/'  but  presently  we  heard 
distinctly  the  words,  the  new  geyser  is  play- 
ing. "  The  new  geyser  is  playing,"  went  echo- 
ing down  the  corridors. 

In  ten  minutes  every  tourist  was  out,  in  all 
sorts  of  costumes  from  blanket  to  full  dress, 
either  shivering  on  the  long  veranda  or  hurry- 
ing down  to  the  basin  to  see  the  new  geyser 
play,  and  right  royally  he  did  it,  too. 

Upward  into  the  black  night  shot  a  stu- 
pendous column  of  water  three  hundred  feet 
high.  The  porters  were  the  first  to  arrive  and 
playing  their  red  calcium  lights  on  the  wonder- 
ful body  of  falling  water  gave  us  a  display  of 
fire  and  water  that  must  be  seen  to  be  appre- 
ciated. The  now  flaming  vermilion  column 


248       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

rose  steadily  upward,  seemingly  through  the 
red  glare  three  hundred  feet,  the  delicate,  rose 
colored  steam  rising  much  higher,  swayed  in 
the  breeze,  now  falling,  now  lifting,  now  float- 
ing away  into  the  black  night  a  rosy  cloud. 

The  hotel  cat  hurried  to  the  scene  of  action 
but  lost  his  bearings  and  stood  fascinated  by 
the  magic  scene,  the  hot  spray  falling  about  him 
until  some  one  picked  him  up  and  carried  him 
out  of  danger. 

In  the  reception  hall  of  this  hotel  an  old 
fashioned  fireplace  filled  with  glowing  pine 
logs  sent  out  showers  of  welcoming  sparks.  A 
big  green  back  log  sang  again  the  anthem  of  the 
wild  storm-swept  mountain  forest,  while  out- 
side the  rain  came  down  in  torrents. 

The  most  wonderful  features  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains  lie  within  the  confines  of  Yellow- 
stone Park.  The  world's  oldest  rocks,  granite, 
gneisse  and  basalt  are  found  here.  Later 
dynamic  action  held  sway  and  the  region  be- 
came the  center  of  mountain  building  on  a 
grand  scale.  Rocky  beds  tossed  up  and  down. 
Next  came  the  reign  of  Vulcan.  Fire  held 
sway.  Volcanic  materials  overflowed  the  re- 
gion. Next  came  the  ice  age,  when  glaciers 


GIBBON  RIVER  FALLS. 


Yellowstone  Park  249 

plowed  down  the  mountain  sides.  Just  now 
the  hydrothermal  agents  are  most  active. 

After  miles  of  mountain  climbing  and  five 
hundred  more  of  staging  in  the  heart  of  the 
Rockies,  through  groves  of  pine  firs,  spruce 
and  cedar,  along  streams  and  lakes  bordered  by 
aspen,  willow  and  wild  flowers,  through  glades 
and  glens,  ravines  and  gorges,  one  begins  to  get 
some  idea  of  the  vastness,  ruggedness  and 
grandeur  of  the  mountains  and  the  delicacy  of 
the  climate.  One  begins  to  understand  how  in 
average  summer  temperature  of  sixty  degrees 
pinks,  geraniums,  orchids,  mosses,  roses  and 
lilies,  alternately  bathed  in  sunshine  and  snow, 
bloom  on,  reaching  a  perfection  beyond  that  of 
our  prairie  flowers. 

The  mountain  thistles  are  beautiful  beyond 
compare.  The  delicate  purple  blossoms  are 
born  on  slender  stems,  the  dainty  green  leaves 
touched  with  white,  drooping  gracefully,  give 
the  plant  more  the  appearance  of  an  orchid  than 
of  the  common  weed  it  is. 

Over  in  Hayden  valley  roam  fifty  head  of 
buffalo,  all  that  is  left  of  that  royal  band,  the 
fine  for  killing  one  of  which  is  five  hundred 
dollars.  Deer  and  elk  roam  ravine  and  moun- 


250       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

tain  side,  sleek,  fat  fellows  that  make  you  glad 
that  they  are  under  Uncle  Sam's  protection. 
We  passed  a  group  of  deer  in  a  wooded  ra- 
vine, their  smooth  coats  shining  like  satin  in  the 
sunshine  as  they  gazed  at  us  out  of  pathetic 
brown  eyes  that  had  something  of  the  human  in 
them. 

"  I  couldn't  kill  one  of  them  innocent  crea- 
tures if  the  law  permitted  me,"  said  the  driver, 
who  was  an  old  mountaineer  and  loved  the 
things  of  the  mountains. 

Now  and  then  one  sees  a  mountain  lion.  The 
less  noble  game  abound  also,  the  fox,  martin, 
beaver,  woodchuck  and  gopher.  Ground  squir- 
rels run  about  the  hotels  and  camps  in  search  of 
food.  Under  our  window  one  evening  three  of 
these  little  animals  were  having  a  tug  of  war 
over  a  bread  crust.  The  crust  at  last  divided, 
one  lost  his  hold  and  the  other  two  ran  away 
with  the  spoil. 

The  gray  squirrels  are  very  numerous,  show- 
ing little  fear  of  the  passer-by  as  they  run 
along  playing  tag  or  race  up  and  down  the 
trunks  of  great  trees. 

The  Rocky  Mountain  quail  differs  from  our 
own  in  being  larger  and  having  a  crest  on  its 
head. 


Yellowstone  Park  251 

Both  Black  and  Cinnamon  bear  haunt  the  vi- 
cinities of  the  hotels  and  camps  in  search  of 
food.  A  big  black  fellow  was  pointed  out  to 
us  one  morning  who  had  stolen  a  ham  from  one 
of  the  camps  the  night  before.  The  ham  had  dis- 
appeared and  there  stood  Bruin  waiting  for  a 
chance  to  steal  another.  One  of  the  men  walked 
up  to  him  and  gave  him  a  slice  of  bacon,  which 
he  took  from  his  hands.  When  he  had  eaten  it 
he  looked  inquiringly  about  for  more.  This 
time  the  meat  was  hung  up  in  a  tree.  Bruin 
sniffed  the  odor,  located  the  bacon,  climbed  the 
tree,  knocked  the  meat  down  and  came  down 
and  ate  it.  Then  he  sat  down  on  his  haunches, 
folding  his  paws  and  looking  up  at  his  new- 
found friend  as  if  asking  for  more. 

At  the  Fountain  hotel  are  two  cubs,  Micky 
and  Anna  Rooney.  They  are  very  fond  of 
sugar.  When  offered  any  food  they  stand  up 
and  reach  out  their  paws  for  it  or  they  will  take 
it  out  of  your  hand. 

Micky  is  a  happy  rollicking  fellow,  but  Anna 
is  more  sedate,  quick  of  temper  and  free  in  the 
use  of  her  paws  when  angry.  When  offended 
she  climbs  to  the  top  of  her  pole  and  sitting 
down  on  the  board  nailed  there  refuses  to  come 
down  for  anything  less  than  a  lump  of  sugar. 


252       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

As  these  bears  are  still  mere  babies  they  are 
fed  milk  from  a  bottle.  They  stand  up,  clasp 
the  bottle  in  their  paws  and  proceed  to  drink 
the  milk  through  a  hole  in  the  cork. 

One  evening  something  was  wrong  with 
Micky's  bottle.  While  the  attendant  was  fix- 
ing it  Micky  dropped  on  his  haunches,  folded 
his  paws  across  his  chest,  holding  his  head  first 
on  one  side  then  on  the  other,  looking  very  wise 
the  while.  The  attendant  being  somewhat 
slow,  Micky  dropped  to  the  ground  but  never 
once  took  his  eyes  off  that  bottle.  While 
Micky  was  waiting  for  his  supper  Anna  had 
finished  hers  and  was  thrusting  her  paws  into 
the  pockets  of  the  attendant  in  search  of  candy 
and  sugar. 

At  another  hotel  was  a  Bruin  and  her  two  ba- 
bies. When  these  youngsters  refused  to  enter 
the  bath  tub  provided  for  them  the  mother 
would  coax  them  to  the  edge  of  the  tub,  push 
them  in,  hold  them  down  and  give  them  a  good 
scrub. 

The  National  Park  should  be  extended  one 
hundred  miles  farther  south  to  the  Black-Hole 
country.  The  park  game  descends  to  the  Black- 
Hole  during  the  winter  where  the  hunters  lay  in 


Yellowstone  Park  253 

wait  for  it.     In  this   way   park   buffalo    were  • 
nearly  exterminated. 

Of  the  natural  wonders  of  the  world  our 
country  possesses  namely :  Niagara,  Yellow- 
stone Park,  Yosemite,  Grand  Canon  of  the 
Colorado,  and  the  Glacial  Coast  of  Alaska.  The 
Mammoth  Cave  might  take  sixth  rank,  but 
leaving  it  out  we  will  not  go  to  Europe,  but  to 
the  Himalayas  for  one  and  to  the  Andes  for 
the  other. 

The  petrified  forests  are  equally  as  interesting 
as  the  geysers.  Southwest  of  Pleasant  Valley 
is  a  small  grove  of  petrified  trees.  Near  Hell- 
roaring  Creek  is  a  massive  promontory,  com- 
posed of  conglomerates,  and  numerous  beds  of 
sandstones  and  shales.  Throughout  these  strata 
are  numerous  silicified  remains  of  trees.  Many 
of  the  trees  are  standing  upright  just  as  they 
grew. 

On  the  northern  side  of  Amethyst  Mountain 
is  another  section  of  strata  nearly  two  thousand 
feet  high.  The  ground  here  is  strewn  with 
trunks  and  limbs  of  trees  which  have  been  petri- 
fied into  a  clear  white  agate.  In  one  place 
rows  of  tree  trunks  stand  out  on  the  ledge  like 
the  columns  of  an  old  ruin.  Farther  down  the 


254       A  Pacific  Coast  Vacation 

mountain  side  are  prostrate  trunks  fifty  feet 
long.  The  strata  in  which  these  trunks  are 
found  is  composed  of  coarse  conglomerates, 
greenish  sandstone  and  indurated  clay. 

These  strata  contain  many  vegetable  and  ani- 
mal remains.  Branches,  roots,  snakes,  fishes, 
toads  and  fruits.  Among  these  petrified  ob- 
jects one  finds  the  most  beautiful  crystalliza- 
tions of  all  shades  of  red  from  the  delicate  rose 
to  a  deep  crimson.  As  to  the  trees  the  woody 
structure  is  in  many  cases  well  preserved. 

Just  beyond  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  park 
lies  the  Hoodoo  region  of  the  Shoshone  Moun- 
tains. Here,  in  the  very  heart  of  the  old 
Rockies  the  banshee,  ghosts  and  goblins  of  all 
the  region  round  about  hold  high  jinks. 

The  scenery  is  wild  and  rough.  The 
Goblin  Mountain  itself  is  over  ten  thousand 
feet  high  and  a  mile  long.  The  storms  of  ages 
have  carved  the  conglomerate  breccia  and  vol- 
canic rocks  into  the  most  strange,  weird  and 
fantastic  shapes. 

The  vivid  imagination  of  the  Indian  sees  in 
these  gigantic  forms,  beasts,  birds  and  reptiles. 
Here  a  couchant  tiger  and  there  the  huge  figure 
of  a  Thunder  Bird.  Yonder  a  hungry  bear  sits 
on  his  haunches  waiting  for  a  passing  Indian. 


Yellowstone  Park  255 

In  the  moonlight  strange  spectral  shapes  seem 
to  pass  in  and  out  these  weird  labyrinths.  The 
rocks  are  all  shades  and  colors.  Mysterious 
sounds  in  the  air  above  add  interest  to  the 
most  weird  scene  in  the  Rockies,  a  fit  setting  for 
the  witch  scene  in  Macbeth. 

In  yonder  dark  cavern  the  huge  cauldron 
might  boil  and  bubble  as  the  fire  lights  up  the 
faces  of  the  sinister  three  who  stir  the  grew- 
some  mess,  while  around  yon  black  bowlder 
stealthily  steals  guilty  Macbeth. 

Which  of  the  grand  scenes  do  I  treasure  the 
most?  I  do  not  know.  I  cannot  tell.  Each 
in  turn  holds,  fascinates,  and  enthralls  the 
mind.  Each  becomes  in  the  language  of 
Keats : 

"  An  endless  fountain  of  immortal  drink, 
Pouring  unto  us  from  the  heaven's  brink/' 


THE  END 


THE 

UNIVERSITY 

OF 


BY    THE    SAME    AUTHOR. 


The  Travels  of  a  Water  Drop 

is  a  volume  of  sketches,  studies  from  nature.  The 
travels  and  adventures  of  this  particular  Water  Drop 
are  so  interestingly  written  that  it  ought  to  occupy  a 
prominent  place  in  children's  classics.  Each  sketch  in 
the  book  is  a  gem  in  its  way.  For  scientific  accuracy 
and  literary  beauty  this  little  volume  is  recommended 
to  nature  lovers.  Cloth,  small  i2mo.  Fifty  Cents. 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


SEP  15  1987  3  4 

RFV-r> 

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SEP    7'67-lPM 

£rfcr*                  W  1         JL    * 

•    .i-*!  A  tk.  i    r"\  pr^T* 

LOAN  DEPT. 

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RECEIVED 

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181693 


